Friday 25 December 2015

Christmas Greetings

Our Christmas Bells Blandifordia grandiflora timed it exactly right this year.


Best wishes to everyone for Christmas and the New Year

Sunday 6 December 2015

Mimic double

I have been clearing some small trees and today I was collecting the cut logs and when I picked a piece up I though at first glance there was a spider on the bark.

 Quickly recognised that it was in fact a beetle (species not identified) likely to be one of the bark beetles that lay their eggs on fallen trees, for the larvae to feed on the decaying bark and timber. It was quite still, but when disturbed it moved in a way that resembled one of the wasp species that are quite common around here. I found more of them on the logs and noticed that  when they move around their yellow antennae look and flick the same as the wasp's.

 

Saturday 5 December 2015

Eyes and a big smile.

A large moth fluttered against a window last night attracted by the light and it was very noticeable due to strong white markings across the underside of the wings. however I was unable to get it to venture into a position where it could be caught. This morning I had more luck as what I assume to be the same species flew past as I was watering the vegetable garden and took shelter on the retaining logs under a large pumpkin leaf. 


The green tinge is from the light through the leaf and the photo was taken using my iphone.

The moth is one of the Notuidae family Donuca lanipes  White Banded Noctuid found throughout north eastern Australia