by Tanya | May 13, 2024 | breeding behaviour, insects
Last Thursday night I was driving home from work in light rain and I could see dozens of large moths in the car headlights struggling on the road, with bright red eye shine. Then at home these chunky furry moths beat at the windows confused by our internal lights. It...
by Tanya | Mar 10, 2024 | Butterflies, flowering
This year I have been delighted to see Imperial Jezebel butterflies visiting our garden! These large and graceful butterflies are white and edged in black and grey when their wings are open and flat. When they alight on a flower to feed, their wings are held together...
by Tanya | Sep 12, 2023 | birds, dry forests, Pardalotes, Psyllids
These tiny birds are only 9-10 cm in length – about the length of your finger! Spotted Pardalotes are well named, as some of their feathers are covered in white spots. Spotted Pardalotes are usually high in the leaves and branches of gum trees, or eucalypts. Here,...
by Tanya | May 23, 2023 | eucalypts, Gang gang cockatoo, insects, Sawflies
Spitfires are a well known but somewhat mysterious feature of the Australian bush. What are they? Particularly tough caterpillars? They are actually the young of an insect called a sawfly – which is not a fly at all but a benign relative of wasps. There are about 200...
by Tanya | Feb 6, 2020 | Flora, flowering, insects, Wombat Forest
This summer has seen a spectacular flowering of Sweet Bursaria. In mid-January I visited Tipperary Springs and the creekline vegetation was all aglow with creamy white flowers. The air smelt sweet and hummed with the buzzing of flies and bees. Sweet Bursaria is very...
by Tanya | Jan 22, 2016 | beetles, insects, Jewel beetles, Uncategorized, wattles
What better way to bring in the beginning of 2016 than a beetle-spotting walk? My dogs are fairly old now, so they do not mind if a slow walk along our dirt road involves the examination of eucalypt and wattle regrowth. One never knows what delights may be observed...
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