Photo of the week – bark moth on a messmate stringybark

Isn’t camouflage amazing? While some species were born to be stars and will pull out all the stops to stand out (we’re looking at you, rainbow bee-eaters), others seek to blend in, trying to living out their days in relative peace.

This bark moth (probably Scioglyptis or Syneora) is almost invisible on the trunk of a messmate stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua) in the Lower Glenelg National Park. Bark moths belong to the looper group – named for the way the caterpillar forms a loop as it inches its way along a surface.

Note how this one has aligned the lines on its wings with the fibres of the bark. It could be a coincidence – but we’d like to think it’s completely intentional…