Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Coming in from the cold

Although ocean temps have been high, with bluebottles and coconuts on our local beach, air temps have been steadily falling.
With the first frosts not far away and snow already falling on the Snowy mountains, this coming winter is shaping up to be a cold one.
The Northern Hemisphere is coming back from a particularly cold winter and it looks like our turn to rug up is not far away.
Considering the upcoming chill, I was interested to capture this Orchard Butterfly caterpillar busily munching away at my lemon tree leaves.

The last time I came across one of these guys was in Jan 2008 .
Being surrounded with vast fields we also have a minor plague of field mice at the moment.
This keeps my collection of snakes happy as their response indicates they taste better :)
Other critters have come in from the cold, such as this centipede.

Only a baby, it measured about 25cm.
The presence of a few butterflies showing that not everyone is ready to accept winter is on its way.

1 comment:

  1. Baby Centipede? 25 cm?
    Blimey.
    I have mice everywhere, and a rat has chewed its way into my car, via the rubber shield surrounding the gear stick.
    I went to buy a trap for it, today, only to find they have all sold out.
    Sign of the times, indeed. David.
    They are all coming in from the cold.
    Peter Vaughan says they like to shelter under the bonnet at night, to keep warm.
    Cheers
    Denis

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