Here’s my latest mural for Cannington Community College in their early learning years block.
Many of the children at the school are new to Australia from migrant families. So, I was requested to paint an iconic Australian animal that they would recognise that would be welcoming and charming. Possum Magic came to mind- hence here featured is a juvenile brush tailed possum. 
The moth featured is the Graceful Sun Moth (Synemon gratiosa), which is quite an unusual moth as it comes out during the day (hence the name), unlike most moths, which of course are seen at night-time.
It’s also endangered due to habitat loss and is particularly at risk due to being a specialist feeder, only eating two different species of Lomandra and nothing else.
Oddly, it only appears as a moth for 2–10 days to basically just breed and die! It spends two years IN THE GROUND as a caterpillar, feeding on the underground parts of Lomandra.
I mentioned the lifecycle of this moth to some students the other day, and one kid said, “What’s the point of even living then if you can only fly for a few days?”
Well, I guess those few days of flying must be incredible after years in the ground.
Just a note that the hidden caterpillar featured is a lappet moth which feed on eucalypts not a sun moth!
