Munch time! My swamp lilies are being demolished, as they are every year, by Spodoptera picta …
Spodoptera picta on crinum lily
And Andrew found this beauty in the veggie bed while weeding – Chelepteryx chalepteryx, white stemmed wattle moth …
Chelepteryx chalepteryx
The defensive spines on caterpillars can cause skin irritation, so it’s best not to pick them up with bare hands. An old Latin proverb I learned at high school comes to mind: “Nemo me impune lacessit“. Loosely translated, it means: “No one touches me without consequences.”
A-roving I will go 
Recently, we spent 10 days travelling down the south coast and saw thousands of white cabbage moths wafting around the countryside. It’s helpful to know a little bit about these garden-invasive insects, so thanks for sharing your knowledge.
On reflection, in the last few years, my balcony garden has been home to tiny insects that have demolished my potted plants. But we are loathe to spray chemicals, so Roger – mostly – painstakingly picks off “grubs” and drops them over our balcony into the bush below, where we hope they will provide a meal for the birds, lizards, and bigger insects. Roger says this is mindful practice. Who knew?
I agree with Roger. I’m just going to cut the swamp lilies down and see if they regrow. They seem to every year, and the caterpillars come back every year. By the way, those white cabbage “moths” are actually butterflies (Pieris rapae), despite the common name.
I knew you would know!
Kathxxx
A caterpillar using my family motto – cheeky!