Conservation efforts impact Bogong moth populations

Paul Duncan of Leura has been experiencing first-hand the return of the bogong moth (C8): “In the mornings the front and back fly-screen doors are covered with them, and one needs to use the leaf blower to move them on or they will fly inside. In earlier times they would swarm around the nearest street light, which in turn attracted the local owls, but they seem to have disappeared. Hopefully they, too, will return.”

For Central West locals, there are issues. Just ask Donald Hawes of Peel: “We are welcoming the current fluttering of bogong moths at our place outside Bathurst but they’ve played havoc with the organ at All Saints Cathedral in town. The trumpet, bassoon, trombone and clarinet pipes, which all have a large reed at the base, have become jammed with errant moths and are unplayable. After the great number of pipes, ranging from about 70 millimetres to nearly five metres, have been taken down, cleaned, returned and re-tuned, a screen will have to be installed to keep the moths out, just as we do for the blowies at home.”

Sticking with nature, Janice Creenaune of Austinmer notes that “my middle child has had a big week watching multiple diamond pythons copulating in his front garden in Bulli. One large and beautiful female and multiple males ‘balled in ecstasy’. An amazing sight.”

Andrew McPherson of Tathra “can’t help but wonder if AI (C8) would have squashed the millennium bug”.

“The mention of Lady Marmalade reminds me of Je t’aime … moi non plus, the seductive, oh-so French song from Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, from 1969,” writes Pauline McGinley of Drummoyne. “It was in French, with much suggestive, heavy breathing and less-than-coy lyrics. It had us high school French students furtively translating away! It was played freely for a short while on the radio but the censorship and controversy had kicked in by the time it reached No.1 on the pop charts, and then only the music, sans lyrics, was permitted.”