By: Michael Fox

Miranda a Fox Gully Bushcare neighbour sent me an exciting photo: a female Jezebel Nymph Mynes geoffroyi laying her eggs on a Native Mulberry Pipturus argenteus.

A close up look at her eggs shows an interesting and distinctive shape.

Native Mulberry fruit is edible and this tree was planted as part of our 2013 Community Gully Day with property owners and other community members coming together to restore the Fox Gully Wildlife corridor. Koalas Phascolarctos cinereus and Squirrel Gliders Petaurus norfolcensis are now breeding in the gully between the houses.

Cr Steve Huang is aiming to build on our community effort a wildlife bridge across Klumpp Road to Roly Chapman Reserve. Steve advised just last week that Federal Government funding has been sourced for a feasibly study.

Look out for Dainty Swallowtail Papilio anactus checking out your backyard citrus as a place to lay eggs.

Like Orchard Swallowtail butterflies Dainty Swallowtail caterpillars are often found on cultivated citrus as well as Australian natives like south-east Queensland local Finger Lime Microcitrus australasica.

The caterpillars will not eat a lot of your fruit tree while they reward you with extra colour as these beautiful butterflies flit around your garden. The caterpillars have a curious defence mechanism extending orange osmeterium that produce a decaying citrus smell to discourage predators.