Scribbly gum

I so love eucalypts that I couldn't resist retrieving this shot of the trunk of a scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma) to offer as today's blip; it was taken during our visit to Lane Cove National Park in Sydney earlier in the week.

The crazy calligraphy is the work of the larvae of the scribbly moth (Ogmograptis scribula). The moths lay their eggs between the old and new season's bark, and the burrowing larvae make tunnels - widening as the larvae grow - which are revealed when the old bark falls away.

The larvae tunnel to the surface to pupate, and the cocoon is very small and almost impossible to find. The emergent moth is itself only 1-2 mm in length and is rarely seen.