Keith Horton, Life on a Scribbly-gum tree (September theme: Little things)

The 'scribbles' on the bark of these trees are made by the larvae of tiny moths, which burrow under the bark to feed on the sapwood. Like many Eucalypts, Scribbly-gums shed their old bark each year, and when they do so the trails of the larvae can be seen as ‘scribbles’ on the new bark. I’m not too sure what to say about the other elements in this photo. On the top right is what appears to be a jumping spider. In the middle are some small caterpillars, and some eggs, some open and some not. Did the caterpillars come from the eggs? Or are they perhaps eating whatever was in the eggs? Will the spider eat the caterpillars and/or the eggs? I don’t know.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.