Carrington Falls trip

A trip to Carrington Falls proved to be of interest with the recent rains having boosted the water going into the gorge by a reasonable percentage.

Following are some shots from the day.

On the right hand side of the above photo is one of the usual suspects in these photographic trips, Denis Wilson, who kindly donated his car for the day to run Rhiannon, Aeron and myself out there. The kids had a great time spotting local fauna and flora while Denis and I busily snapped away at some of this areas most magnificant scenery.

Nests

Robertson, having only been converted from a dense rainforest some 150 years ago at the most, still has some strange creatures come to visit your home. The spider, below, is not so strange. It is a common species in many surrounding areas, though I thought the nest was worth a photograph.

Suspended from my ceiling, and about 70mm in diameter, it is host to the female and her young.

I must admit a fascination for arachnids, though my distaste for mozzies is what keeps her there.

:)

Chat with a Mantis

The picture below gives an idea of the character of the Mantis.

Although diminutive, this curious little insect will check out

a relative giant such as myself.

A group of mantids inhabit one of the citrus trees in my backyard.

With quick reaction times, great eyesight, and fearsome apendages they keep the area on which they live free of insect infestation.

They make an interesting study within a relativly small environment and seem to live in harmony with another resident of the tree on which they live- The Orchard Butterfly. The Mantids seem to have no interest in the juvinile caterpillers at all, with the larger ones being too big to consider. These mantids may even

provide a service to the caterpillers by reducing competition and providing some protection from parasitic conditions.

.

Latest full moon

The latest full moon was showing itself through scattered cloud.

This presents an interesting photographic challenge...how to get details on the moon, and still show the cloud forms.

Each has a different exposure, and to get the correct one for each requires one of two methods.

You can go all modern and create a HDR, though matching the photos can be a problem due to the relatively fast motion of the moon...or you can use a little photoshop magic...I opted for the second option with the following results...

The top photo looking the most natural, with a little cloud over the top of the moons disk.

The photo below being the correct exposure for the moon alone...giving no evidence of the cloud surrounding it.

Orchard Butterfly

Citrus trees, due the chemistry of the plant, often have some strange creatures inhabiting them.The orchard Butterfly is no exception.

The picture, below, is that of the immature caterpillar of the species.

Looking like a bird dropping, it consumes quite a number of fresh leaves to reach maximum size before its transformation ...

As it grows, the caterpillar undergoes some changes, and looks like the next photo as it approaches its transformation.....

Below are a couple of photos of the chrysalis that it formed...

I have been awaiting the emergence of the butterfly, though it seems a little overdue.

Usually taking about 10 days, this specimen has not shown itself yet

and has been in its chrysalis state for 14 days now.

Weather and temperature play a large part in the process and, as we have had a few cold days, things may be a little delayed.

I will be keeping an eye on it and hope to have photos of the adult on this site soon.

Hunters, Prey and Untouchables

Below are a couple of very efficient hunters - the Praying Mantis and the Damsel Fly.

Both are abundant in my garden at the moment due to the amount of prey available.

A good source of food for the preying mantis is the aphid, pictured below.

Mating out in the open is an ultimate sign confidence for these large stink beetles.

Appropriately named, they would not provide a tasty treat for any creature that decided to put them on the menu.

Arachnids Galore

The height of summer is a great time for spiders, and many a scene can be played out in front of your eyes if you look carefully enough.

The demise of a black house spider to a white tail is just such a scene...

Then you have those spiders that are hard to see, and those not so hard...

..and if walking on land, and flying through the air wasn't enough....there are those that walk on water as well....

Yes, spiders are a successful species that has taken advantage of nearly every environment....even under water (still hunting for them :) ), and its unnerving to know that the average person swallows....in their sleep.... at least two in their lifetime.

Pleasant dreams....lol

Big Seas

A sub cyclonic system off Queensland provided a large swell at Kiama last week.

Good to see the guys in the pool keeping the tradition alive.

Cathedral Rocks (the old quarry) was a good spot to be with excellent lighting conditions for some moody landscapes.

Thanks to Denis for suggesting the trip to the coast that day.

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.

Of spiders, flies and the testing of a new camera

Any new piece of photographic equipment can be a little daunting and it is important to know the gear you use reasonably well, so that you don't miss that fraction of a second that turns a good shot into a great one - so I was out in the backyard today seeing what was on offer when I found the following spiders.

Firstly, a Snt Andrews Cross, showing the two types of web it can produce in its classic orb with an "X".

The little spider wrapped in a leaf is in fact a jumping spider,

and it is the first time I have seen one make such a home.

I would guess that it was a female in her nest.

The fly, pictured below, was pushing the cameras macro feature to its limit as it was only 5mm long and extremely flighty

There are many insects out at the moment, allowing a wide variety of spiders a plentiful supply of food.

The Copperhead at the poolside today was a little camera shy and so will have to wait for another day

...perhaps tomorrow morning as things warm up.

Tale of the Yabbie ;)

Today my daughters Rhiannon and Aeron pulled a yabbie ( I choose to call it such) from a local creek.
What a life kids still live in our area. Once a pastime of most Australians, it has become a rarity in this day and age sadly. Pollution and over population take a toll on on a lifestyle of freedoms and choice.

I was, as someone brought up to hunt and catch my own food, quite impressed that hands only were used to land this large and aggressive creature...as was Denis Wilson, who was over at the time partaking in a cool beverage with me.

The girls noticed the yabbie was crawling with leech like creatures. These creatures were not interested in human flesh...like the land based leeches of my previous post, but were content with their current host.

With the help of Denis, the below closeup was taken...with fork prongs for scale.
A most educational afternoon for all.....and, yes, the kids cooked and did eat the spoils of the hunt (minus leech like creatures :) ).

Yes, the yabbie was free of eggs or young.

Long live the old days....at least for adventurous children.