Unmunched Groundsel

Groundsel is the preferred food plant of the caterpillar of the magpie moth, which is a beautiful black moth with white splodges. They fly in the daytime, but I rarely see one in my garden. However I have seen large numbers of them only a few kilometres away. Groundsel doesn’t grow in my garden, but this plant came up in a pot that I’d mulched with pea straw.

One of my ambitions is to get photos of the moth’s underwear, which has unexpectedly bright orange stripes. I’d be happy to see the healthy leaves on this plant thoroughly munched.