'Woolly Bears'

Scientific name: Nyctemera annulata
Common name: Magpie Moth Caterpillar
Maori name: makok?rori

Nibbling away on s0me ragwort which I was going to pull out, until I looked again and again, there were lots of caterpillars! Woolly and black with  longitudinal yellow stripes - poisonous to most predators, thats why there were so many.

They are nicknamed 'woolly bears' because of their bristles. The species is endemic to New Zealand, but over the last few decades the eastern Australian relative (Nyctemera amica) has arrived and has displaced and interbred with it. The Australian species is now found as far south as Nelson.

Today is Waitangi Day where we celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, it is a national holiday.

Thank  you for the stars, hearts and comments for yesterday's Kingfisher. I was pleased with the image as they are so differcult to capture, moving quickly and although regarded as common I haven't seen many.

Best get back to the gardening, I'll be back later :)

One Year Ago - A family shot of Hubby, Daughter E and Daughter A