There's no denying it, we are massive nature enthusiasts here at La La Land and have been obsessed with the beauty of moths and mushrooms for the longest time, and of course, what better selection to explore than Australia's very own!
We've had several field trips into the bush, forests, and even a quirky nature display in the country QLD town of Ayr, Australia has SO much to share from the world of moths and mushrooms, and honestly, we're only just grazing the surface of the diversity that's out there.
Did You Know?
Many people are familiar with edible mushrooms or the mould behind penicillin. But fungi have a range of vital roles, from helping plants draw water and nutrients from the soil to medicines that can lower blood cholesterol or enable organ transplants. Fungi also hold promise for breaking down plastics and generating new types of biofuels!
4 Fun Facts About Fungi
1. Fungi are in a kingdom of their own but are closer to animals than plants. They are living, breathing and are integral in natural ecosystems.
2. A fungus has been discovered capable of breaking down plastics in weeks rather than years, and plastic car parts, synthetic rubber and lego are made using itaconic acid derived from a fungus!
3. Products made from fungi can be used as replacements for polystyrene foam, leather and building materials, helping reshape the world.
4. More than 2,000 new fungi are discovered each year, from a variety of sources, including a human fingernail! Imagine what else these magical wonders can do!
Moths Over Butterflies
Did you know, Australia has around 22 000 species of moths? That means they vastly dominate over our native butterflies which only consists of 400!
The main big difference between the two winged insects, is that butterflies fly during the day, but moths fly mostly at night, but there are day-flying moths as well. Another big difference is the antennae: In moths, they have very feathery antennae, whereas butterflies have just got a single antenna there. That’s because night-flying moths produce pheromones (the trigger for males to seek females), so the males need large, feathery antenna to pick up female scent. Day-flying moths don’t rely on scent so much so have butterfly-shaped antennae.
Another fun fact is that Moths are super helpful in the garden – We often think of butterflies as good while moths are pests, but this isn’t the case; only a small handful of caterpillars give the rest a bad name, and most of these are introduced species. In actual fact, moths do an awful lot of pollination and are just as helpful if not more helpful than birds as pollinators!
Still Keen To Learn More?
There's several amazing resources you can check out to learn more about our marvellous moths and fungi:
Shop Our Moth & Mushroom Inspired collection, Field Trip!