Invasive Caterpillar… on an invasive plant.

I found this caterpillar on one of the weeds in the garden while looking for ladybirds. I sent it to the museum who it was likely to be the caterpillar of Helicoverpa armigera. To quote from CSIRO Australia, the eventual “moth causes $225 million of damage a year in Australia.”

Oops. Not that I would kill pest species anyway – at least not in the caterpillar form.