https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153623725144829.1073742022.809229828&type=1&l=491e935fb5
Please read the notes on the various pictures posted at that Facebook Album.
Anyone can read the notes on pictures when you open the various pictures.
Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis
Showing posts with label Earthworms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Earthworms. Show all posts
Friday, February 20, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2009
More creatures from the rotten logs of Robertson
Following up the last post about Bob's Millipede search, here are some (few) other creatures we found while conducting that search.
Inevitably some were too fast for me to get images of, including some nice greenish Centipedes, which do not stay put for anybody. Clearly I would have needed a collecting bucket or similar to have held them in, temporarily, in order to get some kind of image. Some other time perhaps. (A good pair of gloves would be handy too, for them.)
I did manage to get a snap of this nice little golden Centipede, before it woke up to the fact that it was free to go - at which point it departed the scene, rapidly.
Here is a two-image shot of a large shiny Ground Beetle. There were many such beetles living in these large rotten logs on the ground in the wet forests.
Bob took some precautions (gloves) with this guy,
because of the very powerful jaws.
A large black beetle.
This is a Beetle larva (2 images)
Six tiny legs are clearly visible on the front end.
Speed is obviously not a great requirement for these larvae
when crawling around inside rotten logs.
I believe these are "Collembola" - "Springtails", which are apparently related to Crustaceans
(although their body shape does not resemble traditional crustaceans to my eyes.
But I am not an entomologist - or whatever students of Crustaceans are called.)
For some reason, I find these tiny creatures quite cute. I have seen similar creatures (Proturans) living inside fungi previously.
One of the most impressive creatures we saw was this huge Earwig (twice the size of common garden Earwigs). Its "cerci" (its tail appendages, incorrectly assumed to be "pincers") were very formidable.
Its bright orange legs presumably have a warning-symbol function, as well as a very practical function of carrying around this relatively large Earwig. It has large antennae.
Turning to another "Order" completely, here is a very fine Earthworm specimen. It is NOT the Giant Earthworm which I have seen just near where this specimen was found. But just a very healthy specimen of large earthworm. The Giant Earthworms live very deep in the basalt soil. This worm was in a rotten log.
Here are two "Flat Worms" - which differ from the one above in not being "segmented worms".
This one is a lime green colour - with brown lines along its sides.
This is a creamy coloured Flat Worm, also with brown stripes.
Here is a very fat little Red Velvet Mite. Tiny, and almost "comical" in appearance - to my eyes, but probably not to what ever smaller creature it wants to eat.
Here is a golden silverfish. Not silver. Not a fish. Cute, but determined to not stay out in the sunlight for long. This is a triple image - a composite. Another dweller of the soupy environment of rotten logs.
And just to show that some "higher order" creatures also live in this rotted log environment, here is a tiny Skink - a reptile, one of the few vertebrates to make its home in here assuming you discount the local Wombats (which burrow under the rotted logs, instead of living within them, as this fellow does).
I believe this is one of those Lizards known as "Three-toed Skinks" - which are famous for being ground-dwellers, by which I mean burrowing lizards. See this quote:"when unearthed [the three-toed skink] thrashes violently, trying to burrow back in the ground." and he's spot on".
Indeed, I have seen these creatures on my block when I first moved to Robertson, when I was doing things like moving rocks out of the way, prior to building my house and garden. I make a habit of not moving rocks now, so as to not disturb my invisible neighbours - the "Three-toed Skinks". They wriggle like snakes, because their legs are so reduced in size and functionality (see the tiny front foot) that they are all but useless for propulsion. But the little Skink can (and did) twist and squirm its way out of my hands, and back into the rotten log, where it felt safe.
Inevitably some were too fast for me to get images of, including some nice greenish Centipedes, which do not stay put for anybody. Clearly I would have needed a collecting bucket or similar to have held them in, temporarily, in order to get some kind of image. Some other time perhaps. (A good pair of gloves would be handy too, for them.)
I did manage to get a snap of this nice little golden Centipede, before it woke up to the fact that it was free to go - at which point it departed the scene, rapidly.
Here is a two-image shot of a large shiny Ground Beetle. There were many such beetles living in these large rotten logs on the ground in the wet forests.Left image is underneath side of the live beetle.
Right is top view (just before it scampered off).
Right is top view (just before it scampered off).
Bob took some precautions (gloves) with this guy,because of the very powerful jaws.
A large black beetle.
This is a Beetle larva (2 images)Six tiny legs are clearly visible on the front end.
Speed is obviously not a great requirement for these larvae
when crawling around inside rotten logs.
I believe these are "Collembola" - "Springtails", which are apparently related to Crustaceans(although their body shape does not resemble traditional crustaceans to my eyes.
But I am not an entomologist - or whatever students of Crustaceans are called.)
For some reason, I find these tiny creatures quite cute. I have seen similar creatures (Proturans) living inside fungi previously.One of the most impressive creatures we saw was this huge Earwig (twice the size of common garden Earwigs). Its "cerci" (its tail appendages, incorrectly assumed to be "pincers") were very formidable.
Its bright orange legs presumably have a warning-symbol function, as well as a very practical function of carrying around this relatively large Earwig. It has large antennae.
Turning to another "Order" completely, here is a very fine Earthworm specimen. It is NOT the Giant Earthworm which I have seen just near where this specimen was found. But just a very healthy specimen of large earthworm. The Giant Earthworms live very deep in the basalt soil. This worm was in a rotten log.
Here are two "Flat Worms" - which differ from the one above in not being "segmented worms".This one is a lime green colour - with brown lines along its sides.
This is a creamy coloured Flat Worm, also with brown stripes.
Here is a very fat little Red Velvet Mite. Tiny, and almost "comical" in appearance - to my eyes, but probably not to what ever smaller creature it wants to eat.
Here is a golden silverfish. Not silver. Not a fish. Cute, but determined to not stay out in the sunlight for long. This is a triple image - a composite. Another dweller of the soupy environment of rotten logs.
And just to show that some "higher order" creatures also live in this rotted log environment, here is a tiny Skink - a reptile, one of the few vertebrates to make its home in here assuming you discount the local Wombats (which burrow under the rotted logs, instead of living within them, as this fellow does).
I believe this is one of those Lizards known as "Three-toed Skinks" - which are famous for being ground-dwellers, by which I mean burrowing lizards. See this quote:"when unearthed [the three-toed skink] thrashes violently, trying to burrow back in the ground." and he's spot on".Indeed, I have seen these creatures on my block when I first moved to Robertson, when I was doing things like moving rocks out of the way, prior to building my house and garden. I make a habit of not moving rocks now, so as to not disturb my invisible neighbours - the "Three-toed Skinks". They wriggle like snakes, because their legs are so reduced in size and functionality (see the tiny front foot) that they are all but useless for propulsion. But the little Skink can (and did) twist and squirm its way out of my hands, and back into the rotten log, where it felt safe.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk, Knights Hill
Yesterday evening the manager of the Illawarra Fly held a special briefing for members of the National Parks Association. I did not get any photos of the structure itself, as the time and the weather were against me. However, their website has pictures and gives the following introduction:
From the Naturalist's point of view the walk starts in regrowth Cool Temperate Rainforest, with Brown Barrel Eucalypts, with true rainforest plants at the lower level of the canopy. They are all growing on rich red basalt soil. You walk in and start down the slope then go onto the metal pathways, which gently rise over the next band of forest, which is mostly Gully Gums (Eucalyptus smithii,) and Silver-top Ash (E. seiberii), with a rainforest understory, of Blackwoods, Sassafras, Scentless Rosewood and of course, Tree Ferns (of both the Dicksonia and the Cyathea genera), and occasional Cabbage Tree Palms. There are numerous vines visible climbing through the tall trees. This "Gully Gum Forest" forms a narrow strip, just about 100 metres wide, as it sits immediately above the exposed edge of the Illawarra Escarpment. The Escarpment Cliffline is visible from the Illawarra Fly in several places, and of course, it has exposed Sandstone rock faces. So one is reminded that the red soil (on the walks in and out from the Illawarra Fly) indicates that, geologically, this mountain top is a basalt cap overlying the Sandstone structure. It is a "volcanic intrusion".
Here is one of the tall Tree Fern as viewed from above, from one of the metal walkways, some 30 metres off the ground.
From my point of view, it was great to see how this enormous structure has been fitted into the forest with barely a tree dislodged. It was built in pre-fabricated modules, then moved in. The tower was craned into place, a fair effort as it reaches 45 metres high.
And this is a Giant Earthworm, some 50cm long (about 18 inches). It was the largest one I have yet seen. They are recorded to grow even longer. They love this red basalt soil, and the high level of organic matter found on the forest floor in places such as this. This fellow had been disturbed when a trench had been dug, but it was in the process of recovering, and making its way out of the 600mm deep (2 feet) trench.
The operators of the Illawarra Fly have a policy of employing local staff, and local suppliers of goods, as far as possible. This is an excellent policy as far as the local Chamber of Commerce is concerned.
- The Illawarra Fly is a 500 metre long, 25 metre high elevated tree top walk ascending at a gentle grade and suitable for visitors of all mobilities. Nestled amongst the temperate rainforest of the Southern Highlands the treetop walk takes you along the picturesque Illawarra escarpment and offers inspiring views from Shellharbour to Bass Point, Lake Illawarra and the South Pacific Ocean.
- For the thrill seeker a 45 metre high lookout is ascended via a spiral stairway offering panoramic views, combined with the beauty of the rainforest. View the Blackwoods, Gully Gums and Sassafras from a vantage point generally reserved for our flying friends.
From the Naturalist's point of view the walk starts in regrowth Cool Temperate Rainforest, with Brown Barrel Eucalypts, with true rainforest plants at the lower level of the canopy. They are all growing on rich red basalt soil. You walk in and start down the slope then go onto the metal pathways, which gently rise over the next band of forest, which is mostly Gully Gums (Eucalyptus smithii,) and Silver-top Ash (E. seiberii), with a rainforest understory, of Blackwoods, Sassafras, Scentless Rosewood and of course, Tree Ferns (of both the Dicksonia and the Cyathea genera), and occasional Cabbage Tree Palms. There are numerous vines visible climbing through the tall trees. This "Gully Gum Forest" forms a narrow strip, just about 100 metres wide, as it sits immediately above the exposed edge of the Illawarra Escarpment. The Escarpment Cliffline is visible from the Illawarra Fly in several places, and of course, it has exposed Sandstone rock faces. So one is reminded that the red soil (on the walks in and out from the Illawarra Fly) indicates that, geologically, this mountain top is a basalt cap overlying the Sandstone structure. It is a "volcanic intrusion".
Here is one of the tall Tree Fern as viewed from above, from one of the metal walkways, some 30 metres off the ground.
From my point of view, it was great to see how this enormous structure has been fitted into the forest with barely a tree dislodged. It was built in pre-fabricated modules, then moved in. The tower was craned into place, a fair effort as it reaches 45 metres high.And this is a Giant Earthworm, some 50cm long (about 18 inches). It was the largest one I have yet seen. They are recorded to grow even longer. They love this red basalt soil, and the high level of organic matter found on the forest floor in places such as this. This fellow had been disturbed when a trench had been dug, but it was in the process of recovering, and making its way out of the 600mm deep (2 feet) trench.
The operators of the Illawarra Fly have a policy of employing local staff, and local suppliers of goods, as far as possible. This is an excellent policy as far as the local Chamber of Commerce is concerned.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Rain and hail drown the Giant Earthworms
Robertson was hit by heavy rain again today. Indeed, just outside of Robertson, on the top of the Jamberoo Road, there was a heavy hail storm. To read Greg's first-hand report on the hail at his place, click here. I heard about this in the morning, and was surprised to find patches of iced-up hail still lying beside the road, 5 hours later. As this photo was taken a few hundred metres from the "Robertson Pie Shop" (which is the Bureau of Meteorology's official weather station for Robertson), it is likely that the 23 mm of rain reported so far today is an understatement, as the hail would almost certainly have blocked the rain gauge. I shall ask around tomorrow for other local rainfall records. 
This ice had not melted despite 2 hours of heavy rain after the hailstorm.
Indeed, when alarmed it can do this!
That is a stunning display, and, if you check back to the top photo, you will see that those glands were not present, or not visible. The red glands appeared suddenly, when I lifted the leaf on which the caterpillar was feeding to take a close-up photo. Bingo, this is what I was presented with. I was impressed, and I am sure a "predator" would also have been "warned off". In fact those glands can produce a strong-smelling liquid (although it did not squirt me).
The front-on view of a caterpillar is not often seen as clearly as this. So lets have a close look. You can see a really clear, but accurate diagram of the body parts of a caterpillar, at the Chew Family's website on the Insects of Brisbane. That illustration is based upon a caterpillar of this species. That illustration will help you locate some of the named parts I am about to mention.
The creamy coloured "face" has an inverted V shape. Either side of the lower end of the V marks are small brown points, which are the eyes of the caterpillar (called "Stemmata") . There are apparently 6 tiny eyes, located together, on each side (I could not see that detail - that's where biologists come in handy, to explain things in fine detail for us). I can see where these eyes are, however.
The mouth is the "raison d'etre" for a Caterpillar, so it is very highly developed. Indeed if you have ever read to children, the wonderful book by Eric Carle, called the Very Hungry Caterpillar, you will know that all they do is eat!
Check this article in Wikipedia, on the mouth parts of chewing insects. The caterpillar's mouth parts consist of "mandibles" (jaws, used for cutting and chewing food) and maxillae (the hairy organs below the jaws, used for directing the chewed food into the mouth) and "palps" (which according to the Macquarie dictionary, are sense organs), so that the Caterpillar can feel what it is eating. Just as well, as it probably cannot see so close in front of its face.
Incidentally, "Osmeterium" (well, "osmeteria" probably) is the name for the pair of glands on the forehead. These are specific to caterpillars of the Swallowtail group of Butterflies (which includes the Orchard Butterfly). These glands can be "everted" (the word for when an internal organ is turned outwards, as required), when the animal is threatened.
In this subsequent photograph, this second caterpillar was apparently happily walking along the Lemon Tree leaf, but with these glands fully extended. So, he was still saying "beware of me".
And now to a Giant Earthworm (possibly Notoscolex grandis) I found today, at the wonderful lookout at Lee's Road, on the very edge of the Illawarra Escarpment. The worm was flooded out of its burrow. It had come out, and was lying in a puddle, so I rescued it (hopefully) by putting it back into some soil, and covered it over with leaves, to give it some chance of surviving. This one is at least 200 mm long (about 8 inches long). My camera lens cap covers a 62mm lens, and is therefore slightly larger than that. Of course, this worm when fit and healthy can stretch itself much longer than it is in this situation, when it was nearly drowned, and (to use an ugly word) quite "flaccid". It is the largest Earthworm I have found, since my time in Robertson. Greg found one at his place a few days ago - probably in the same situation as this one, nearly drowned.
The article by R J Blakemore linked above is published originally in Eucryphia (the magazine of the Robertson Environment Protection Society). It is apparent that there are many species of giant earthworms in the Robertson area.
This ice had not melted despite 2 hours of heavy rain after the hailstorm.
During the heavy rain, I rang David and he invited me around to his place to check out the Orchard Swallow-tailed Butterfly Caterpillars we had seen previously. When the rain eased, briefly, we went out to check on their growth. When seen previously (on 19 January) these guys were half-grown and brown and white coloured. The bird-dropping disguise. They have now grown to nearly full size. Now, as you can see this is one fat caterpillar, and it is armed with spiky protuberances.
Indeed, when alarmed it can do this!
That is a stunning display, and, if you check back to the top photo, you will see that those glands were not present, or not visible. The red glands appeared suddenly, when I lifted the leaf on which the caterpillar was feeding to take a close-up photo. Bingo, this is what I was presented with. I was impressed, and I am sure a "predator" would also have been "warned off". In fact those glands can produce a strong-smelling liquid (although it did not squirt me).The front-on view of a caterpillar is not often seen as clearly as this. So lets have a close look. You can see a really clear, but accurate diagram of the body parts of a caterpillar, at the Chew Family's website on the Insects of Brisbane. That illustration is based upon a caterpillar of this species. That illustration will help you locate some of the named parts I am about to mention.
The creamy coloured "face" has an inverted V shape. Either side of the lower end of the V marks are small brown points, which are the eyes of the caterpillar (called "Stemmata") . There are apparently 6 tiny eyes, located together, on each side (I could not see that detail - that's where biologists come in handy, to explain things in fine detail for us). I can see where these eyes are, however.
The mouth is the "raison d'etre" for a Caterpillar, so it is very highly developed. Indeed if you have ever read to children, the wonderful book by Eric Carle, called the Very Hungry Caterpillar, you will know that all they do is eat!
Check this article in Wikipedia, on the mouth parts of chewing insects. The caterpillar's mouth parts consist of "mandibles" (jaws, used for cutting and chewing food) and maxillae (the hairy organs below the jaws, used for directing the chewed food into the mouth) and "palps" (which according to the Macquarie dictionary, are sense organs), so that the Caterpillar can feel what it is eating. Just as well, as it probably cannot see so close in front of its face.
Incidentally, "Osmeterium" (well, "osmeteria" probably) is the name for the pair of glands on the forehead. These are specific to caterpillars of the Swallowtail group of Butterflies (which includes the Orchard Butterfly). These glands can be "everted" (the word for when an internal organ is turned outwards, as required), when the animal is threatened.
In this subsequent photograph, this second caterpillar was apparently happily walking along the Lemon Tree leaf, but with these glands fully extended. So, he was still saying "beware of me".And now to a Giant Earthworm (possibly Notoscolex grandis) I found today, at the wonderful lookout at Lee's Road, on the very edge of the Illawarra Escarpment. The worm was flooded out of its burrow. It had come out, and was lying in a puddle, so I rescued it (hopefully) by putting it back into some soil, and covered it over with leaves, to give it some chance of surviving. This one is at least 200 mm long (about 8 inches long). My camera lens cap covers a 62mm lens, and is therefore slightly larger than that. Of course, this worm when fit and healthy can stretch itself much longer than it is in this situation, when it was nearly drowned, and (to use an ugly word) quite "flaccid". It is the largest Earthworm I have found, since my time in Robertson. Greg found one at his place a few days ago - probably in the same situation as this one, nearly drowned.
The article by R J Blakemore linked above is published originally in Eucryphia (the magazine of the Robertson Environment Protection Society). It is apparent that there are many species of giant earthworms in the Robertson area.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)