Massive swarms of bogong moths once resembled rain clouds - then their numbers crashed to earth

Guardian Australia is highlighting the plight of our endangered native species during an election campaign that is ignoring broken environment laws and rapidly declining ecosystemsExplore the series - Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this electionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe bogong moth was once so abundant it was mistaken for weather. During Sydney's Olympic Games in 2000, a swarm of bogong moths attracted by stadium lights was so huge that meteorologists mistook it for a rain cloud.But the species known as "deberra" in Taungurung language - an insect with deep cultural and ecological importance, but which is smaller and lighter than a paperclip - has not returned to those numbers since the population collapsed by up to 99.5% in the two years before 2019.Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as an email Continue reading...