South Bullen Range

Violet Kunzea Kunzea parvifolia

A Small Copper Lucia limbaria

Blackthorn or Australian Blackthorn with rusty coloured seed capsules Bursaria spinosa

Orchard Butterfly

A female Orchard Butterfly Papilio aegeus was observed laying a single egg on our lemon tree.  She was a beautiful big butterfly with a very big bite sized chunk missing from both back wings.  As she jinked into the garden, it was interesting to see how excited she was by the lemon trees, fussing all around until laying a single pearly egg.

The egg gradually became darker as the caterpillars black head became apparent.  Then one morning, 8 days after the egg was laid, the little guy was hatched out.

Then he did a U-Turn and commenced to eat up the egg case.

  The caterpillar was able to produce the osmeterium at a few hours old.

Mt Coree

White's Skink Egernia whitii looking a bit worse for wear.  Besides having his tail missing, there are red spots in the ear and between the toes which look like mites. This morph has brown back without spots.

They are pretty cute!

Lots of Scarlet greenhoods Pterostylus coccina.

View west from Mt. Coree.

In The Garden

A later instar larvae of the Orchard Butterfly Papilio aegeus on a lemon tree.  I thought it must be introduced but it is actually a native species that just really likes lemon trees. We check on him every day.  He spends a lot of time very still, sometimes on a narrow pad of silk. If we come by and catch him eating he will stop.

Garden Orb Spider Eriophora transmarina in her web just after dusk.She is re-using the same web from yesterday. Hard to see but she has a great white stripe down her abdomen.

Stockyard Spur and Mt Gingera

Orange Alpine Xenica Orieixenica correae.  Actually there are five species of mainland Alpine Xenicas all looking similar of course, but I think I've got this one right.

This is the very photographed Snow Gum Eucalyptus pauciflora on the summit of Mt Gingera....

...the angular buds and hook-ended leaves indicate ssp debeuzevillei

Mt Gingera summit with its wonky marker, and views to the Snowies.

Stockyard Spur Daisies

Alpine Podolepis Podolepis robusta. Big showy yet raggedy looking flowers. A single stem with several flower heads.

Chamomile Sunray Rhodanthe anthemoides.  little white paper daisies.

Orange Everlasting Xerochrysum subundulata. Big paper daisies.

Daisy Hill

Some little wildflowers from the dry eucalypt forest at Daisy Hill Conservation Park. Spade Flower Hybanthus stellarioides.  Appears at first as if it has just one petal and maybe the others have fallen off.

Pastel Flower Pseuderanthemum variabile. 

Star Goodenia Goodenia rotundifolia