Proving that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, the most celebrated and revered "butterfly" in this region is in fact a dusty coloured moth.

The Bogong Moth's status largely comes from its use as a highly nutritious - and apparently delicious! - food source by Aboriginal Australians.

It's a migratory moth, flocking en masse to the Snowy Mountains in southern NSW every spring, causing chaos when vast numbers decide to break their journey at peoples homes and offices.

In fact the new parliament house in Canberra, ACT - which lies right on the Bogong flight path - had to be especially redesigned to discourage the moths descending on the nations house of government!

"To work in bogong moth season in Parliament House is to be surrounded by death, corpses and confused survivors huddled in clumps in corners...Bogong invasion is an experience the residents of this building all share. We may disagree on political values and we certainly don't all share that partisan connection to one or other party, but we all understand just how noisy a moth can be as it bashes its wings against our fluorescent lamp"

Lousie Yaxley, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Political Correspondent. "Bogong Tour 09 Takes Over Parliament House" 

WHAT CAN I SEE? Bogong moths travel at night and are attracted to light. During September and October you can't miss them. There are also plenty of more visually attractive members of the butterfly family to see too!