The House(s) of Fran_mart

Links to those posts which have been updated since the initial post. More insects have been added, more than usual identified! In fact two additional posts have been added The moth from Mt Franklin has been identified  Images of the Swallowtail and a Stinkhorn fungus have been added to the Brindies blog An artichoke is apparently digestible.  The hyacinth orchid had got more flowers and an astonishing number found at the 6 Mile TSR.  Quite a few corrections have been made to the Touga Rd post as a result of reader feedback.  A couple of corrections to insect names on the Swamp post Apparently there was a red-moon event (ie a lunar eclipse) on the 10th  of December, but it was around midnight so I was well asleep by then.  However earlier in the evening I got this image - spiffy, but not worth its own post - about 10:30. Happy New Year!

I posted in November about a visit to Square Rock in Namadgi National Park .  Today we visited the area again, but instead of visiting the Rock we spent most of our time in and near the swamps to the North of Corin Road.  The primary objective was to look for Orchids in the company of a group of friends who are expert in such matters.  Cutting to the chase we - needless to say, mainly "them" - found 10 species. This first image is of Simpliglottis valida .  It is going over (orchid-speak for a flower being fertilised  which is equivalent - in the current generation -  to 'passing away', 'joining the majority', 'croaking' etc etc) but this was about the best example of a flower we found.  The only 'donkey orchid' found was Diuris monticola which added to the many yellow plants in the swamp.  We now move on to the 'potato orchids".  Two species were found on the day, on the slopes above the Swamp.  The first two images are Gastr

Now that your eyes have stopped watering, you will be pleased to know this is about the garden plant - Kniphofia sp - and nothing to do with urban legends about the death of  Edward II of England nor the Red Hot Polkas . Last year I did include some images of Eastern Spinebills feeding on the flowers.   This year the crop of flowers is even better and we are getting a wide range of birds dining on them.  So I thought I would use this post as a repository for the images captured. The first image is a juvenile Eastern Spinebill. Followed by some adults (note the prominent throat spot). Next is a White-eared Honeyeater The next two are of Noisy Friarbird.  The first image is included mainly to illustrate the bizarre positions these birds can adopt when feeding. To my surprise these have been the only species of birds coming to dine at the poker table (although they have been coming very frequently).  Insects have been few and far between also: this ant is the on

I read a tip from Google analytics that too much stuff in a page makes them slow to load, which annoys the punters.  My second arthropod post for this month was starting to get a bit big so I have added this third one.  When I have worked out exactly how to do it, I will put up a consolidating post as an index to all the mini-beasts I have been able to identify!  In the meantime here are some more which I find interesting, or attractive, in shape.   The first two are yet more images of the Vine Moth - after endless pursuit last year they are turning up everywhere this year.  This one was perpetrating some form of mischief on a strawberry leaf.  Next we have some ants (life is too short to ID small ants) climbing over some other insects, which on the 'usual suspects rule' I will say are a juvenile form of aphid.  In fact they are Mealybugs (closely related to aphids) in the family Margarodidae , probably Monophlebulus sp .  Two variations on that theme are in this image