Now why is this particularly important? It is because of an intricate web of interconnected and dependant other species in its summer sites that rely on high moth numbers for food, one of which is the endangered Mountain Pygmy Possum. No, the reason for the listing is that in the past, moth numbers were estimated to be in the billions, but a massive reduction has been observed over the last few years.

It also can be a pest of crops such as cotton and wheat where the caterpillars cause damage and are controlled by the application of insecticides. Quite the opposite, as the moth is considered by some as a nuisance, as at certain times of year, large numbers were attracted to lights in cities like Canberra, entering houses and offices where they cluster in nooks and crannies to the consternation of the inhabitants who hasten to destroy them. Its existence is not threatened by any disease nor is it harvested for food any longer.

Nor does it provide economic benefits as does another moth, the silkworm. The Bogong moth has just been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and put on their Red List, but why? On a first impression the moth is not particularly attractive, unlike the endangered Ulysses swallowtail butterfly, as it is smaller and a nondescript brown in colour. National Parks & Wildlife Service – budget cutsĭr Penelope Greenslade, School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University.Maurice Wilson is a man written out of the history books - dismissed as an eccentric and a charlatan by many, but held in the highest regard by renowned mountaineers such as Reinhold Messner. This is the tale of an adventurer unlike any you have ever encountered: an unforgettable story about the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Traumatised by his wartime experiences and leaving behind a trail of broken hearts, Wilson believed that Everest could redeem him. But he had pluck, daring and a vision - he wanted to be the first man to stand on top of the world. In the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceived his own crazy, beautiful plan: he would fly a Gipsy Moth aeroplane from England to Everest, crash land on its lower slopes, then become the first person to reach its summit - all utterly alone. The untold story of Britain's most mysterious mountaineering legend - Maurice Wilson - and his heroic attempt to climb Everest alone.

The moth and the mountain