A burst of hot weather heats it up

A burst of hot, dry weather has seen the veranda getting more use in the early evenings as things cool down, though space is limited as more and more insects vie for a place to meet under the glow of electric lights.

This dragon fly stopped by for a visit,

as did this cicada.

                                    

Beetles of all shapes and sizes abound in whirring confusion, with the odd Christmas beetle still in attendance as well.

 The increased action has not escaped the eyes of predators either.

This huntsman keeps an eye on the proceedings.

Green spotted tree frogs have been around for the last few months and don't miss too many opportunities for a meal as they deftly climb the walls. 

Evenings are a busy place on the veranda, with sitting under the lights just not a comfortable option.

The show that is put on each and every twilight makes it an interesting place nonetheless.

Cicada are back

One of the rights of passage through childhood for many boys ( and quite a few girls) in Australia is the catching of Cicada during the summertime.
These amazing creatures, after spending seven years or more underground, emerge to rejoice in the heatwave and produce a sound I have always associated with this time of year.

These coastal grasslands are home to one of the smallest of these insects I have seen to date.


Some cicada are easy to catch, some are harder.
These guys have eyes in the back of their heads ( it seems), as they are very small and very quick.
I was, after stalking on hands and knees like someone possessed, able to catch this insect pictured below - though only on film.
It took younger eyes, and quicker reflexes than mine, to help achieve this task.
Good to see that the youth of today still find excitement in the hunt of these elusive creatures.




The lads, who were down from Bateman's Bay for a cricket match in Bermagui, even managed to score a chrysalis from the creatures nymph stage.


I have a previous post, with a couple of pictures of cicada that show the difference in size.
One of my first posts was of a similar cicada, though those pictured above are marginally smaller.

Summer Break

I thought that I should take advantage of the inclement weather of recent days to get into posting a blog or two. The break over Xmas/new year (hope you all had fun) was quite productive photographically and, with photographer Petra Sing on visit from Europe (pictured below), I was able to snap many Gigs of material.

The following shots are a collection on insects, arachnids, reptiles, and fungal forms.

These were taken at a number of areas over the holiday break.

I hope you enjoy this eclectic mix of summer pics, with more to come as I get to process them.

Cicada's early emergence

Late last week I was out at the roadside near Butlers swamp, and was lucky enough to photograph this small black cicada.
Having gone out to observe the roadside orchids, blooming at the moment, to come across this insect was a bonus.
Usually quite shy and flighty, this one was happy to pose on my finger for a photo that shows its scale quite clearly.
This particular cicada usually only emerges in the height of summer, perhaps giving some indication of the type of summer we are to have this year.