Yesterday’s post talked about my horror experience with white-stemmed gum moth caterpillar cocoon. That wasn’t the only time I came across the caterpillar.
We had a gorgeous gum tree in the front of our yard. Unfortunately the previous owners planted it too close to the retaining wall and driveway and the shallow roots of the tree were cracking open both.
We had an arborist out and the small hope there might be some way to save the tree was dashed. It had to go.
Our eucalypt was a beautiful tree. Not only aesthetically with its multi-coloured scraggy bark, but for all the wildlife it attracted, especially birds. Cockatoos, currawongs, ravens, magpies, butcher birds and tree creepers to name a few.
It’s not only birds we found in the tree; insect life flourished as well. Cicadas, ants, beetles and bugs all made the tree their home. Including a white-stemmed gum moth caterpillar making its way down the tree. This is a rather large caterpillar (it’s The Hub’s fingers in the photo), and not commonly seen.
It was a very sad day when the tree finally came down.
Have you got a tree that the wildlife loves? Or had to have a tree you loved removed?
August 20, 2020 at 2:01 am
Too bad you didn’t get any koalas in the eucalyptus tree.
You get a lot of birds in the gum tree because you have a lot of insects there. And yes, that i a monster caterpillar.
August 20, 2020 at 6:26 pm
No koalas in that tree, but we can see them in trees about 30 mins from our house.
We have another gum that got thrips last summer. It was completely infested, so we ended up with a tree full of birds. It was wonderful. The tree lost quite a few leaves but the birds made sure the tree was never really in any danger of dying.
August 20, 2020 at 5:31 am
I have a linden tree in my front yard. I love it, but it’s the messiest tree ever. It blooms and attracts lots of bees! But then the flowers drop off, and the leaflets fall all summer, and then in autumn, the real leaves fall. I’m always cleaning up after that tree. If we had to cut it down, my husband wouldn’t miss it, but I would!
August 20, 2020 at 6:27 pm
Oh, how lovely to have a tree full of bees. We don’t have natives that lose their leaves in winter, but we have a lot of introduced garden species that do (we have a couple in our yard) so I understand the “always cleaning”.
August 20, 2020 at 10:47 am
In my childhood home, my mother planted a tree that was about my age. When we moved out, the thing was huge. The new owners cut it down. If there had been any sort of a storm, it would have taken out the house. It was way too big for the yard. So, while I was sad to hear of its demise, I completely understood why it had to go.
August 20, 2020 at 6:28 pm
It’s always sad when a tree has to be cut down. But as you say, it is understandable. Gums have very shallow roots so in a big blow, or wet, they are very prone to falling over. Most rooves lost on houses here are from fallen gums.