I had this idea a while ago and have put a sequence together and I hope slideshow displays the idea well. This is going to be the first of two posts for this prompt. When you are a child of the Moon, taken to life with the ebb and flow of moonlight, there may be a couple of photos of Our Moon in my folder.
Another great subject and those who know what I post does on occasion contain a spider or two. I think I’ll be gentle and ease those of a certain disposition to our wonderful eight legged friends into this post with a few spider webs. If you feel like backing out, you can at the end of these photos of one of natures talented artists section.
Webs are good for converting to B&W
The “I’m too tired to finish” web
Early morning bejewelled by early morning dew
Glowing in the morning sun
Natures necklace of pearls
The practical side of webs
Spiders webs can be big or small. A tiny web in a chicken wire fence that has 25mm (1 inch) spaces complete with one of those frightful spiders – sorry
The colours of a web that we don’t usually notice. Again sorry for the inclusion of a scary spider
A message from the spiders to everyone. Show some love
This is where those who decided to forge on, continue, the others can return to their sterile environment.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL INSECTS.
Spiders are one of natures natural predators who can rid your environment of annoying insects like flies, mosquitos and cockroaches. Do not use pesticides that harm our environment by removing the beneficial insects that spiders may feed on and also kill spiders. Look for other methods to reduce spiders that can curtail your fear please.
OK For those who are still with me, lets look at spiders. I don’t have a good knowledge of names so only a few are labeled
I thought I would start with a big spider, a Golden Orb Weaver. I don’t have a good photo of the golden web which is very strong. Not much fun to walk into as it is quite sticky.
I have lots of different jumping spiders. They jump rather than stroll about. They don’t build webs, they rely on unsuspecting insects come come past.
The same with Crab Spiders
Those long front legs of a Tmarus angulatus possibly
Don’t know the name of this fast moving spider
This is my public service announcement. Wear gloves when gardening. You may run into a Mouse Spider who would be less than impressed when disturbed. They are venomous but bites are rare.
I had to include my bad photo of a rapid Bird-dropping Spider
Another unknown spider looking it’s best on a daisy
The Night Spider, Araneus andrewsi, who build a web of a night and take most of it down during the day except for a few threads where the web is anchored. This spider is having a sleep after a big night.
Night Spiders are spectacularly hairy
Jewel Spiders are also known as Six Spined Spider, Christmas Spidersand Spiny Spiders. It is 12mm of fear with its six pointed decorate spines
Everyone knows St Andrews Cross Spiders. This one has lunch wrapped up
Spiders in the house as insect controllers. Huntsman Spiders are big, hairy, fearsome looking gentle giants. Yep, it’s bigger than my hand. They are shy and I couldn’t get it to sit on my hand for a photo.
You can find Huntsman spiders in the most unusual places as they find a safe place to hide during the day. Outside it would be a good spot under bark.
One of my favourite spider songs The Spider and the Fly by The Stones
Welcome to my part of Australia on the east coast. On the edge of the sub-tropics with rainforest around one hundred kilometers up the mountain. A very bio-diverse region of Australia. Not all the wild ferocious animals that Australia is known for are around here. I’ll let you know where to find them…….if you dare 😂 * I didn’t start this post, with the length it has become, in mind, so if you are busy maybe have a look later. If not, maybe a cup of tea or coffee for the breakfast or lunch part of the world, maybe a wine or beer for the others.
First up, Australia – everyone knows Kangaroos. There are four types of Kangaroo, these ones are Eastern Grey Kangaroos who have a great chill spot in the beach park. The Does and Joeys are in the foreground with the big male Buck at the back
You still have to watch out for them. If you accidentally hit one in a car, you hope they don’t come through the windscreen still alive. Get out fast. I have seen photos of the interior of a car totally shredded
These are the ones I have around my house. Red-necked Wallabies. The little Joeys are ever so cute
But you still need your mother to make sure you look your best
I haven’t seen any Pretty-faced Wallabies around the place for a number of years
That’s right I have to do the wild part. This is what a wallabies front feet and in the foreground, rear feet. Notice the claws. One of their defenses is to sit back on their tail and rake down your body with their rear legs. Close in brawling doesn’t work either. The front legs are made for that. Being a herbivore I don’t think they bite.
Possums are nocturnal and don’t mind doing their mating shenanigans on your roof, any time during the night. Not a danger unless you startle one curled up in your bed or washing basket. Real incidents I know of.
I am always on the Echidna quest. Every time I find an Echidna they bury themselves, bristles out. Quite a beautiful pattern. A wonderful slow walking animal. When it’s mating season, you may encounter an Echidna train. A female being followed nose to tail by a number of hopeful males. I could tell you about Echidna anatomy but you can look it up for your self
Q. Do you know how Echidnas make love? A. Very carefully 😂
Another wild animal is the Antechinus a native mouse. Here is a live release. I catch rodents in the house in case they are native and I can let them go away from the house.
Every now and then little micro bats get inside. Can see the size by the light globe its hanging on to. If they are inside at night. Turn off all the inside lights, open the doors and windows eventually they fly out Like this Lesser Long-eared Bat did
Back to a bit of cute but dangerous. Perhaps you are in a drop-bear region but don’t worry Koalas are not bears.
Sorry about him. OK Koalas They sleep for about 20 hours a day. Eucalypt leaves don’t have all that much nutrition, well that’s what Koalas reckon, so they save up all their energy to eat the next night. They are nocturnal as well.
Don’t wake a sleeping Koala. There is woken up grumpy and there is woken up Koala grumpy. Their claws are for climbing trees, very efficiently I might add, but if they decide you are a tree, just hope your bark is tough.
Also beware of Koalas on bicycles. If they hear about a new gum tree bursting with tasty new growth, Koalas are wont to get there helter skelter, hence the need for speed from their sudden short burst running of 30km/h. It’s like the “oh no I feel tired” knowing you want to get to the snacks but need to rest and the next bus will be along in 20 hours!! Also Koalas aren’t the best bike riders
A new resident in my garden, a Northern Brown Bandicoot. This one has been attacked, probably by a cat and is injured but doing OK. I have been keeping an eye on it and feeding it every now and then so it will come close so I can see if the wounds are healing. They are nocturnal so seeing this one out is a sign it wasn’t well. I haven’t seen it during the day for a week or so now. Their diet comprises of insects, spiders, earthworms and other invertebrates, as well as tubers, underground fungi, seeds and fruits. They are efficient diggers as they look for food underground, producing characteristic conical shaped snuffle holes. I have holes everywhere and spend a bit of my day when I walk around filling the holes in.
Flying Foxes like to feed on fruit and their habitat used to be in the rainforests and margins. Now they like to enjoy the fruits of mans labours where they can. They congregate in large noisy smelly colonies during the day usually destroying the trees they roost in over time. Then they move on. These one are Little Red Flying-fox, the most common in Australia of the three other species
Now we are talking dangerous. Look at him. Terrifying. Ready to strike at any moment. The fearfully named Tasmanian Devil. “Devils have a reputation for being aggressive due to their famous threatening gape and for the range of fierce noises they make. Most of these displays however are used as part of feeding rituals or produced through fear rather than aggression.” Devils are the largest carnivorous marsupials in the world, their powerful jaws and teeth enable them to entirely devour their food including bones and fur.
Here we have come upon the sealed section. For those who do not wish to see snakes do not open this slideshow, enjoy one of the cutest plant pots. Now off you go. The rest of you have a look at: #1 – Red-naped Snake – Virtually harmless and not considered significant. Weakly venomous but considered harmless due to inoffensive nature and reluctance to bite. #2 – Green Tree Snake – Inoffensive and bites infrequently. Emits a strong odor from the cloaca if handled firmly. #3 – Red-bellied Black Snake – the most venomous in this group. Reclusive disposition but will inflate and flatten the body and neck in an effort to intimidate a perceived aggressor. Bites from this species should be treated immediately and attended to with correct first aid. Its supposed fearsome reputation is well exaggerated. #4 – Carpet Python – a harmless python. Bites may cause substantial lacerations or punctures #5 – Carpet Python – face #6 – White-crowned Snake – Not considered dangerous to humans. All crowned snakes are reluctant biters, relying more on bluff display than bite. They are weakly venomous and have tiny mouths and short fangs. #7 – Bandy bandy – probably named by a scientists three year old. Weakly venomous with localised symptoms around bite area. Generally considered harmless due to small size of mouth & inoffensive nature #8 – Don’t see snakes all that often but do see their skins every now and then as the shed last years skin.
Now for a couple of new photos I found in my search. These little Rufous Bettongs used to be on my place every where. They are nocturnal as well. During the day they will curl up in a nest in long grass. I have had one shoot out from almost under my foot. Luckily I was close enough to home to go back and change my pants.
Another elusive animal is the Dingo. Quite shy, they will run into the bush when they see people. I had one that lived around the area and dropped into my place often. It never killed or harmed any of my chickens. One day I saw it looking at the chook house from the edge of the clearing, so I asked the Dingo “What do you think you are doing?” It just looked at me and walked away. This one never ran when I was close just walked away. Dingos are the largest mammal carnivore in Australia.
This is the best of a few bad photos. I have tried to clean it up as best I can
Sorry for taking a lot of your time. I can’t help myself when it comes to our natural world. I like to share what is here as it is rather unique.
After an extensive folder search, I only found one good Ladybird photo hanging around on Paspalum Grass Seeds.
But then again there were some older ones floating about as well, including this rather bad photo again on grass seeds
I disappeared into the Ladybird ID wormhole and am still none the wiser. Here is a Ladybird on a Morning Glory flower complete with a bit of pollen dust.
Denzils seedhead photos this week are an inspiration. I don’t have the names for all of my seedheads apart from a few that I do know.
I found this grass growing out front of a neighbours place.I was going to try and collect some seeds but unfortunately, they are mowing freaks. These seeds are so pretty and delicate
Seedheads are a beneficial source of food when all is scarce.
Luckily there are lots of seedheads to choose from
Yay one I know, Paspalum. Seeds and flowers make a handy climbing place
Another one I know, Purple Fountain Grass
The seedhead of a Lomandra or Spiky Club Rush. Yes those spikes do hurt.
The wonderful red seeds of a Cunjevoi Lily
The photographers favourite, Dandelion
No matter what state the seedhead is in
Paspalum at sunset
A field of grass seedheads
The all time favourite grass seedheads at sunset. It is some sort of pasture grass
This is the Davidson Plum, a native fruit tree found in New South Wales and South-East Queensland. The new growth is quite unusual but you came for the eating part I know.
The fruit grows out of the trunk of the tree. The skinny stick is the Davidson Plum Plant dwarfed by a nearby Eucalypt. Davidson plums and common plums are not related and bear a different genetic makeup, texture, taste, and appearance.*
The black ones are the ripe ones
Here’s a closer look. These are not really edible straight off the tree. Taste is sour with some astringency and slight bitterness. The fruits are primarily consumed with added sweeteners or cooked to reduce the mouth-puckering taste
“The fruits can also be cooked into jellies, jams, and syrups, or pureed into sauces to serve with roasted meats. Davidson plums have a versatile flavor that can be incorporated into savory or sweet dishes, and the fruit’s ruby-colored flesh imparts a dramatic hue to sauces. The fruits can be used in recipes similar to rhubarb, cranberries, or other naturally acidic fruits. In addition to savory preparations, Davidson plums are popularly used to flavor baked goods, including cakes, pies, biscuits, tarts, and muffins, and the fruits are also pickled or pressed to make juices, wine, liqueurs, and cordials.”*
By the way this is what the plant looks like when it is small for those interested to see what happened to those soft bent furry pink leaves
Some flies are beneficial pollinators like this Hover Fly on a Zinnia
Another pollinator, appropriately named a Bee Fly
Some flies feast on human leftovers. They especially like something made from sugar
On to the next group of flies. One thing that doesn’t get any attention are Australias flies. They carry on about dangerous spiders, poisonous snakes and crocodiles but flies don’t get a mention. There are a few types, Horse Flies, they are big but not that big, but you know it is Australia and March Flies who are not calendar conscious but don’t like the cold.
This is a Horse Fly. See that big spike on the front of its face? Well that hurts like anything
This fly make look cute and harmless but doesn’t mind a bit of human
The beauty of a March Fly who unfortunately was caught in the process of having a snack. They are quite persistent in getting a meal so flailing around is a waste of time. I just let them settle in a place I can reach, start to feel the sting go in and whack! as they are almost hypnotised at that stage.
Even on a Summers night, if they get in they will come looking for you. This one found me in my office
A Horse Fly getting ready to drill into me. You can just make out the proboscis
This is the most beautiful fly. Those green eyes and golden furry body but see the length of the drill ready to pierce your skin.
This fly doesn’t bit but has the cutest yellow face
I don’t really know where to start as I have so many photos of bark. Yes I am a bit weird when it comes to what’s around me and the unusual I find when I am travelling else where.
Here is a number of photos from my media folder of trees from years ago. I found that bark is bark and to have bark change on a tree is evolution. If it has happened in my lifetime it’s really sneaky and subtle.
I just realised that some of these are unnamed so I might have to guess.
This could be a Corkwood or a Foambark Tree
A Plane Tree Found nearly all over the world
A native Fig Tree, maybe a Port Jackson Fig
When there is a lot of rain, some trees produce foam.
“This occurs when rainwater dissolves chemicals from the tree bark as it flows down the stem of the tree. This changes the surface tension of the water so that when it drips down towards the base of the tree, the air is introduced due to the turbulence of the water, and foam is formed because of the altered surface tension.”
This is foam coning from a Bloodwood Tree
Bloodwood is a funny name. It comes from the tree exuding a red sap which runs down the bark, giving it a blood like stain. I wrote about the tree a while ago and can be found here if you are interested
The bark of a Red Ironbark is quite rough with fissures running up and down the length of the tree. The new growth on the ends of the branches have a smooth bark. Ironbarks too do exude a small amount of sap. This sap was used by our First People as a glue. Rub it between your hands until it softens and fasten the stone axe head to the handle
Everyone loves Scribbly Gums. The tracks are made by a beetle larvae
There is a number of trees that shed their bark in strips. On my place it is the Grey Gums and the ones like this one below, the Forest Red Gums. These bark strips had lots of uses as well like making baskets
This is a spot the difference with Spotted Gums. When Spotted Gums are dry they are quite abstract.
But when Spotted Gums get wet a transformation takes place
Getting wet after a fire is another world
Spotted Gums are resilient trees. Originally the fencing wire would have been wrapped around the tree, using it for a strainer post. Those two post either side are the replacement strainer posts
I cannot find the name of this tree. The old bark strips off revealing a stunning orange new layer which yellows over time
Another type of tree are the fibrous bark trees. I have around five different species that have a fibrous bark. When fire gets onto this type of bark is flash burns and runs up the tree only singing the bark, saving the wood beneath.
This Tallowwood has had an accident. Another tree has crashed down, shaving the side of this tree, perhaps knocking off a branch. The bark goes into action forming a paper like surface that get thicker, sealing over the wound. The tree will have a scar like this one forever
G’day, just seeing if you kept up and got this far. Thanks for having a read. A Bottle Tree
I am unsure of the names of most of these water plants, some are native and others introduced especially the water lilies. Some of these are from my dams on my place.
This is a mixed bunch of water plants. I am not sure of the exact name of these but a generic named Pond Weed with flower spikes is floating on the water in my dam, while a Water Ribbons is under the water and a Persicaria or Slender Knot-weed is poking through on the left hand side
A view across the House Dam with Cape Water Lillies in the front and the whole edge of the dam is ringed with Schoenoplectus mucronatus, the reeds in the background
A closer look at Schoenoplectus mucronatus
A bit of an arty reed photo because I can
Onto the water lilies. This lovely yellow one I found on a waterway up the road a bit
The wonderful purples of Cape Water Lilies
I love the delicate shades of pink and a burst of yellow. I am not sure where I took the photo, it may have been on a market stall as the name I found was Nymphaea ‘Mary Patricia’
My favourite Australian water lily, Water Snowflake Nymphoides indica, on my dam
I had to include another arty water lily photo
Sometimes taking photos can lead to a surprise. I knew there was something on a water lily on the dam. A tiny Dwarf Green Tree Frog snuggled in the flower enjoying the sun
bushboys world 