Lachlan717 wrote:Welly wrote:There's a particular kind of tree, I've no idea of the name, that I keep seeing - it's a very light, almost white colour and it has these scribbly lined patterns all over it. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
If it's around Sydney, I'll go with Angophora costata, or, more likely, Eucalyptus haemastoma...
Yes, that was the one:
.What causes the patterning or is it just the nature of the tree? It is quite amazing.
Just found it on our favourite online encyclopedia.
These zigzag tracks are tunnels made by the larvae of the Scribbly Gum Moth (Ogmograptis scribula) and follow the insect's life cycle. Eggs are laid between layers of old and new bark. The larvae burrow into the new bark and, as the old bark falls away, the trails are revealed. The diameters of the tunnels increase as the larvae grow, and the ends of the tracks are where the larvae stopped to pupate.
