Invited to join the realm of mothers (that doesn't look right: mothos? mothwatchers? perhaps mothing is best), I set out last night to do my darndest for the group. And found moths are hard to pin down in my steamy-warm night world.
That's because predators are only too easy to fix upon. Asian House Geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus) and a variety of frogs rule the walls, windows and ceilings, and the cane toad rules the ground.
No sooner does a moth - or anything else that flies - alight than the stalking begins. Wall space in the caravan park indoor/outdoor kitchen carries up to 10 frogs and 4-5 geckos to the square metre.
So, the mothing didn't take off. But the evening wasn't a dead loss, except for one victim of events. One other player in my little night out did throw a hissy fit. But that's what Rhinoceros Beetles do when upset: all hiss and wind!
And the night's victim? Don't look down if you're squeamish.
These two geckos began their duel to the death locked in a curious Yin and Yang pattern, an almost circle of sinous curves, sinister intent and subtle feints.
I missed the critical strike after racing off for a camera. Came back to find the geckos shifted from tactical circle to death round.
As the Eastern mystics say: a good big guy will always beat a good little guy.
