Monsoon Beauty 2026- Teak tree watch
24th August 2026 Such a transformation to the eastern tree - it has caught up with its western counterpart - so much so - they have formed one uniform canopy. Good evening rains every few days have helped I'm sure. The drongos are back in the neighbourhood - they were missing for a few weeks. Last evening I saw them sitting on the teak and swooping for insects. I wonder if they also feed on caterpillars - I have spotted teak defoliator moths quite regularly over the last 4-5 days. and I assume the caterpillars must be on the tree. I have not seen their caterpillars so far - and I must explore. These moths have a little orange patch on their hindwing - which my picture has not been able to capture. The caterpillars also have an orange stripe. I read that they pupate while going down a silk thread into the leaf litter below - I find that pretty marvellous. Breeding activity is more when the teak tree has more leaf - after the rains...
