May 31, 2011

Hairy Balls - Gomphocarpus Physocarpus. 
A quirky looking host to the African Monarch Butterfly.

May 30, 2011

Nosy & totally mesmerised by my friend's soft whistling....
This photo was taken on Saturday. I have been very busy and not touched a camera today.





May 29, 2011

A one-handed shot today showing the amazing colours of a baby Lynx Spider.
It was really just a speck blowing in the wind that attracted my attention.
Count across 5 or 6 ridges of your fingerprints to work out just how small it is!
(I did not realise that my fingers were so pink - real "granny hands"!!)

May 28, 2011

Catching rays! This Cattle Egret probably needs a pair of bright orange legwarmers!
An early morning visit to the Game Reserve proved rather chilly.
Although we did not see the usual wide variety of animals, it was a spectacular day for birdviewing.

May 27, 2011

 The spider that I have been monitoring and feeding is no longer on the dried flower where it has been since 16 May. 
While searching for it, this little mite caught my eye  - at first I thought it was a small red ant, but it turned out
to be a Jumping Spider. It was moving quite fast over a flat piece of shell and kept stopping briefly to raise its head
and throw its front legs up. Probably trying very hard to look big and dangerous....!

May 26, 2011

A fly on the moon wearing sparklers on it's tail

May 25, 2011

Our new pre-fabricated classroom arrived today, and I was taking photos of the

 offloading procedure - quite a spectacular procedure, I might add!

During this process, a learner came to me with a beautiful caterpillar - I was thrilled because I had not yet found a suitable photo for my journal today.  Quite a colourful character...



Much to my amazement a lizard came along and stole the subject right from under my nose!!
It had been sitting in a nearby tree and darted down fearlessly.



What a handsome chappy - probably a juvenile Blue Headed Lizard.
It made a beeline for the tree but dropped the caterpillar and after much tounge action  the lizard disappeared out of site.  Presumably the caterpillar gave off a foul taste or perhaps poison?
Thank you, sweet child for bringing me the caterpillar!!



May 24, 2011

 Headlice or late for a Royal Wedding?? 
The bug moved like greased lightning & I am thankful that I managed this shot!

May 23, 2011

"High hopes on the Hoya"
Although all the flowers have dropped off the Hoya plant, this dear little Crab Spider (note the hairy behind!)
is sitting there trying very hard to look like the last flower & maybe attract an insect for supper ....
Interesting fact about the Hoya: next season the flowers emerge from the tip of the same 'head'; the heads elongate with each flowering. This was the first flowering on this head, that is why it is round.   I have never taken a macro shot of it before and I can't help but wonder whether the pink centre might be the start of the next set of flowers.
The flower 'head' in the photo is about 10mm in size - the spider is really tiny!

May 22, 2011

The very bright sunlight really accentuates the veins, hairs and scales on the wings of this Butterfly.
After an Internet search, I decided that it might be an African Migrant. My friend Jill will tell!





May 21, 2011



The Crab Spider that I photographed on 16 May has lost the legs that were stuck in the exoskeleton!
Crab Spiders use those legs to grab prey & I was worried that it can not catch food and was probably starving.

  

I caught a little pollen gatherer....  and placed it carefully on one of the dry seeds.
The spider can be seen watching in the background ...  (I am sorry little pollen gatherer)



My plan worked and soon afterwards the hungry litte Crabby was feeding happily!
In this photo one can cleary see where the legs broke off. 
I have read that Crab Spiders have the ability to regenerate legs, but only after moulting.

May 20, 2011

♪♫ And I only have eyes for you... ♫♪
A strange photo that has 'grown' on me - the point of focus really accentuates the huge eyes.
Feeling a bit off-colour today and had to dig in the archives for a photo.





May 19, 2011

The unmowed lawn has produced more fascinating grass 'flowers'!

May 18, 2011

"Sunset over the Hoya"
The Hoya plant has now dropped most of its flowers - I came home to find the near-dead flowers scattered on the table,
with this little spider perched on top, hoping for a last meal!
An apt name for this one would be "Chinese Doll Spider"

May 17, 2011

'Elegantly' backed into a corner! Probably dead scared of the camera.
My friend Ant would be pleased to know that I have managed to identify them:
 they belong to a family called Assassin Bugs. I can now go back and label the other photos in my journal.
The appendage that is folded away under the head is used to stab the prey and then to literally suck it dry.

May 16, 2011

At first I was a bit confused as to what this little Crab Spider was doing on a dried out old daisy.
The macro shot revealed that it was busy moulting. The exoskeleton can clearly be seen to the left of the spider,
while it is still trying to free its front left leg from the cuticle!  What an ordeal this must be for them!
This is day 136 of this year's Daily Photo Journal; it is also my second year of journalling... that makes it
501 days of mostly insect photography, with plenty of beautiful spider shots, but never one this special! 

May 15, 2011

Some photographers tend to think that the bigger their equipment, the more right of way they have!
This was NOT the attitude of the person in the Audi, I am merely using the photo to demonstrate the frustration us 'plebs' with lesser equipment so often experience with so-called 'pros' that push right in front, cut you off
from the sighting and ruin all your chances of getting a good look, not to mention a photo!
Please remember to pack your manners into your camera bag - that way you will never forget them at home again!
  (the number plate was my own idea after removing the registration)

After spending quite some time parked on a bridge, I noticed a little crocodile in the water adjacent to the rock.
This was quite a find as I stop here on every visit to the park and have never seen a crocodile here.
I decided to put Nifty's (my Canon SX130is) lens to the ultimate test and was rather amazed at her zooming capabilities!
Not bad for a pocket digital - Nifty I am proud of you!
Thanks again, Lennis!

A rather ominous reflection.... right down to the evil glint in the eye!

May 14, 2011

After a long wait, the buds that featured on 23 April are finally starting to open.
Thankyou Susan for this beautiful plant! I wish I knew what it is called.

May 13, 2011

Ever seen these blobs of foam and thought it was a frog's nest?  Well - they are actually the nests of Spittle Bugs and if you remove some of the foam, you will find the bug inside.  (as children we used to think it was 'snakespit'... ha ha)

May 12, 2011

A "Zebra-fly??"  I have photographed many flies but have never seen one of these.

May 11, 2011

A quick and easy photo today.  The flowers are that of the "Christ Thorn"

May 10, 2011

This little Jumping Spider was floating in the overflow tank of the rainwater catchment. I fished it out and placed it on a leaf on the patio. Poor little mite! The water drop on its right front leg is witness of the recent ordeal....

May 9, 2011

 A fly on a Vygie. The sun adds a touch of sparkling gold to the delicate petals



May 8, 2011

Life and Death on the Hoya

May 7, 2011

This is how I feel tonight! 
(The photo probably portrays how we ALL feel after today's very tiring sports function)

May 6, 2011

It it were not for the pink grass seeds/flowers that caught my eye I would not have kneeled down or noticed this fellow.
What perfect camouflage!

May 5, 2011

This is called a Stinkbug - I have never been close enough to smell it, though! 

April 4, 2011

It seems that I am not the only one on the block who is totally fascinated with
the beauty of grass 'in bloom' at the moment!
(This priddy puddy tat is dedicated to my friend Penny - may the mere thought of it help to keep your mind off the gulls...)

May 3, 2011

An abundance of no less than 14 flower clusters on one plant!  These are commonly known as 
Wax Flowers or Porcelain Flowers. The botanical name is Hoya.
It was planted just over 2 years ago and grows along the rafters on the porch.   
The smell reminds of Honeysuckle and it fills the air at the front door - heavenly!  
Hoya plants are named after the English gardener Thomas Hoy (1788–1809).

May 2, 2011

This little frog was hiding within the spout of the watering can. It gave me an awful fright when it jumped out at such speed that I could not make out what it was until it landed on a potplant nearby!
 Fortunately it sat long enough for me to fetch my camera. 
I wonder if it had the same red markings on the other side or whether it hurt itself
in the process of escaping.

May 1, 2011

Well,  April ended with a photo of a bird, and the new month starts with another: a Hadeda Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
The iridescent pink sheen on their shoulders, red on their beaks and blue tail feathers are so beautiful.
They do a wonderful job aerating the lawn while digging for insects with their long beaks!
I am thankful to be home safe after a lovely weekend in Warner Beach.