Scribbly Bark

An ancient dialect written on the trees, but who can decipher it? The scribbly gum moths have been writing the story of their lives on our gum trees for millennia, but what does it say?

The scribbles are formed by a moth (Ogmograptis scribula) that burrows a feeding trail between the layers of the bark of the gum tree. It then turns around and burrows back along the trail, which now has a new layer of nutrient provided by the gum. When it gets back to the beginning it emerges to start its new cycle of life.