"Camo" Katydid

 As I was doing some pruning of shrubs I happened to see a movement and on closer look found a well camouflaged Katydid nymph.

 With my iphone in the back pocket I was able to get a couple of photos as I thought by the time I went to get my camera it could have moved on and I would be lucky if I was able to spot it again.

Not having seen one before I had no idea of the identity but after some searching found it to be the nymph of the 32 Spotted Katydid, Ephippitytha trigintiduoguttata .

Their habitat is  the coastal eucalyptus forests from central Queensland down the east coast and as far as Adelaide but much more common in the Queensland.

Not so fiery skimmer

 

 Noticed a dragonfly alight on a plant and managed to get a photo before it moved on to its next stop

. Checking the identity I found it to be a female Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum.and unlike the male that I posted in 2012 lacks the bright red colouring.

 

A name that suits

Digging in our mound of woodchip mulch I brought to the surface a beetle of the species that is the largest in Australia. The suitably named Rhinoceros Beetle (Xyltrupes S) that is found through Islands to the north of Australia and down the coastal regions of Queensland and less common further south.to about Sydney.

 

 Only the male beetles have the horns which they use to fight with other males coming into their territory looking for a mate. The larvae are very large curl grubs that feed on decaying vegetation, rotting timber and in our case woodchip mulch. When disturbed they have an aggressive hissing sound to scare off attackers and also emit a chemical defense.

Renowned for their strength and size (up to 70mm) it is not surprising that they are also called Hercules, Ulysses and elephant beetles.

A new skipper

I noticed one of the skipper family of butterflies land on a flower in the garden and it did look a little different to other skippers that I have seen on the property. It stayed quite still on the flower and allowed me to get a few photos with the phone camera.

 

 When I had a chance to identify it I was pleased to see that it was one I hadn't photographed previously however as many species in this family are very similar I may have seen one before. They are found in NSW and Victoria and the lavae feed on Lomandra mat rush species of which we have quite a lot on the property.

Colourful but prickly critter

A colourful but prickly critter,found in the garden when I was doing a bit of tidying.I hadn't see one at our place before, although I didn't have to spend much time identifying as I had done that when my friend Melisa found one at her place a year ago, almost to the day.

 

 It is the caterpillar of the Patterned Notodontid Moth (Aglaosoma varigata) and it is about 75mm in length. I haven't seen a moth here as yet but hoping one might visit once this caterpillar pupates.

The moth is found in Eastern Australia through to South Australia and the caterpillar feeds on a range of plant species.

Unwelcome Visitor

We have been having some visits from as couple of our native critters, Bush rats and Antechinus that like to get into the house and find things to nibble or a nice spot to make a nest. However last night we had a visit from an introduced critter that has become quite widespread in Australia since arriving as a stowaway on ships probably as far back as the First Fleet, a Black Rat Ratus ratus.

 

Eyes on this moth

 A couple of days ago I found a moth that was new to me and did some searching to get the identity and I was quite sure that it was in the Anthelidae family which was correct but I punted on the Montane Anthelid. However after posting on the iNaturalist site I was soon corrected that it was in fact the Eye Spot Anthelid Anthela ocellata.

This moth's larvae feed on grasses and it is widespread through Australia.

 

Noisy Miner from my desk

As I work at my desk my outlook through the window is of part of our garden and one shrub that is a magnet for birds is the Grevillea "Honey Gem", which is one of the popular grevillea cultivars often accused of causing an influx of large honeyeaters that displace smaller birds. This maybe true when it is mass planted but as part of our diverse plant selection we have large and small birds visiting every day.

One native bird that gets a lot of bad publicity is the Noisy Miner Manorina melanophyrs as they gather in large flocks and are very aggressive to other birds in their habitat. However they generally like tall woodland areas with sparse understorey.and as most of our property does not meet that requirement the Noisy Miners they are not  regular visitors and do not cause problems.

 

There are four Australian Miner species included in the honeyeater family and the Noisy Miner ranges along the east coast and  great dividing range.

Dragonfly season

The wet summer has brought the insects out in large numbers and it is hunt and be hunted from the small flies to dragonflies and cicadas.

The dragonflies are very busy hunting, particularly in the morning where they are flitting to and fro catching any flying insect that takes their fancy. They are also being hunted as needle-tail swifts swoop down at speed twisting and turning to take the dragonflies on the wing.

Lots of different dragonflies and yesterday took some photos of ones that I haven't posted before.

Blue Skimmer (m) Orlhetrum caledonicum

Blue Skimmer (f)

 

Wandering Percher Ocplacodes bipunctata

Young hawk hunts more than sparrows

Recently we have seen a pair of hawks around the property, rapidly flying through the treetops on the hunt trying to scare birds to take flight to enable a strike.

Yesterday late afternoon I heard one calling and I found both birds were in the trees near the house but only one was on a branch in a clear area preening for a photo.

 It was catching the last of the sun and stayed for some time until its mate flew and then it followed. 

They are quite small hawks and I was not sure of the identification as there are a couple that are quite similar particularly in their young plumage.

On checking in my field guide it showed the distinctive feature, a tail with indented square shape and plumage that identified it as a young Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrhocephalus where as the similar Brown Goshawk has a rounded tail end.

 Today I heard them again calling nearby and found one had landed on a branch to feed on a bird that it had caught.

 It managed to get in a few bites before its mate came to get in on the feed but it was not going to share and took flight.

Collared Sparrowhawks are widely distributed through Australia in varied habitat.