Category Archives: Insects

Eucalyptus tip-wilter bug

Posted on Friday, 25 January 2013 by

This little thing was in the rain gauge when I was emptying it this morning – yes, we’re having rain at last! The big lump of heat over Australia’s interior that was encouraging the bushfires in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania … Continue reading →

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Wattle goat moth

Posted on Sunday, 20 January 2013 by

I saw this mating pair of wattle goat moths (Endoxyla lituratus?) in the Tasmanian Bushland Garden near Buckland, north of Hobart, in late December.

Posted in Art, Insects, Travels | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Museum of Copulatory Organs

Posted on Wednesday, 26 September 2012 by

How cool is science? How cool is art? How supercool is it when they get together in mind-boggling ways? This is what happened with one of the art installations at the 2012 Biennale in one of the old warehouse spaces … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Insects, Molluscs | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Video of Lord Howe Island stick insect hatching

Posted on Wednesday, 29 August 2012 by

I was captivated by the very-rare-but-getting-much-less-so Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) when I visited the island, and wrote about it here. New Scientist recently posted a wonderful video of a LHI stick insect hatching. You can see it … Continue reading →

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National, umm, moth week

Posted on Wednesday, 1 August 2012 by

Catching up on my blog reading yesterday, I noticed that last week in the United States at least, according to Rebeccainthewoods, was National Moth Week (read about it here; Scientific American mentions it here). This gives me the opportunity, if … Continue reading →

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The biggest cicada

Posted on Sunday, 15 July 2012 by

I’d just elbowed my way through hundreds of screaming ankle-biters on school holidays determined to see the Egyptian exhibition at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane last week. The object of my search was not mummies (although there were an awful … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Insects, Travels | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Tailed emperor butterfly

Posted on Tuesday, 12 June 2012 by

Last week I found a butterfly, wet and still and horizontal and apparently dead, on the back steps. I took it inside, thinking to add it to my meagre collection when it had dried out. A couple of days later, … Continue reading →

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Insect days

Posted on Wednesday, 18 April 2012 by

The warm and sunny autumn days of the last couple of weeks (until yesterday) have brought out the insects. The birds were probably very pleased when the rain stopped and they could get a decent feed. I found a stick … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Lizards, Spiders | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Tai chi with stick insect

Posted on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 by

I don’t practise tai chi, but it sure felt like it this morning when I was handling a stick insect a friend brought for me to see. She’s often out maintaining her plantings, and sees a lot of interesting insects. … Continue reading →

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Australian native stingless bees making hay while the sun shines

Posted on Sunday, 26 February 2012 by

At last the rain has held off for a day, and one of our native bees, Trigona carbonaria, is taking advantage of the flowers out in the bright sunshine. These tiny stingless bees, about 4 mm long, are gathering pollen … Continue reading →

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