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moloch05

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Here are a few photos of the herps and flowers from this past week.

Broad-tailed Gecko (Phyllurus platurus) -- I made a trip up to see “my” leaf-tails that live in a rocky area near Wollongong. The night was mild and I found a number of these geckos.

The gecko in the following photo arched the tail and then moved it from side to side as I photographed it. This gecko has its original tail.
phyllurus1.jpg



... regenerated tail:
phyllurus3.jpg


phyllurus2.jpg


phyllurus8.jpg




Anepischtos maccoyi – a common skink that lives in cool, damp areas within the wet eucalyptus forest.
anepischtos1.jpg



Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii) – a common and beautiful skink.
eulamprus1.jpg


eulamprus2.jpg





Golden-crowned Snake (Cacophis squamulosus) – This snake was large for the species and quite heavily built. While I photographed it, I became aware of blood on its face. This is the second time now that I have seen blood appear on a golden-crowned while I photographed the snake. I am beginning to wonder whether they burst blood vessels when stressed. The snake moved freely and otherwise did not show any signs of injury as one would expect if it had been clipped by a car.
goldencrowned1.jpg


goldencrowned3.jpg




I went out again today (Sunday) for a couple of hours and found another Mustard-bellied Snake (Drysdalia rhodogaster). It seems really odd to find two a week apart after several years of searching. They are great little snakes and pose nicely for photos. Their tongue flicks are pronounced but I just could not seem to catch it. Here are pics of today's snake.

mustard5.jpg


mustard3.jpg


mustard2.jpg


mustard4.jpg


mustard6.jpg


mustard1.jpg




I also found a Marsh Snake (Hemiaspis signata):
marsh1.jpg


marsh2.jpg




This big Common Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides) was out and about.
bluetongue1.jpg



... a blue-tongue "growl":
bluetongue2.jpg





... possibly a relative of the Flat Spider:
spider2.jpg



... Wolf Spider?
spider3.jpg


spider1.jpg




... tiny species of Crane Fly:
cranefly.jpg




Duck Orchid (Caleana major) -- I only know of one small colony of this bizarre but beautiful orchid.
duckOrchid1.jpg



Epacris sp. -- these Australian heaths are lovely plants and common in sandy or rocky areas.
epacris2.jpg


epacris3.jpg




a multi-branched Sundew -- these perennials are just now develping their new leaves. A couple of insects have already been caught in the second photo below.
sundew3.jpg


sundew2.jpg


sundew1.jpg



Match-heads (Comesperma ericinum) -- a pretty plant of family Polygalaceae.
matchstick2.jpg



Dusky Coral Pea (Kennedia rubicunda) – a colourful twining vine that is numerous near the top of the escarpment west of Wollongong.
pea1.jpg




Hibbertia
hibbertia1.jpg




...other
alium1.jpg





1 -- pea, 2 -- Pattersonia sp., 3 -- pea
456 -- Streaked Rock Orchid (Dockrillia striolata)
7 -- Epacris obtusifolia, 8 -- Dracophyllum secundum, 9 -- Epacris sp.
10 -- bud of Caleana major, 11 -- Caleana major, 12 -- Prostanthera sieberi
pea_400.jpg
pattersonia_400.jpg
pea2_400.jpg

orchid3_400.jpg
orchid2_400.jpg
orchid1_400.jpg

epacris5_400.jpg
epacris4_400.jpg
epacris1_400.jpg

duckOrchid2_400.jpg
duckOrchid3_400.jpg
mint1_400.jpg




Here are more photos of my favourite flower for the area, a Waratah:
waratah4.jpg


waratah1.jpg


waratah2.jpg


waratah5.jpg




... and one of its pollinators, a small wasp:
wasp1.jpg



... a pretty Dampiera:
damp1.jpg



Regards,
David
 
amazing pictures, those waratahs are stunning. nice lot of snakes you saw, I havnt been seeing much variety at all. was this mustard bellied snake the same size?is there any chance that maybe it was the same one?
 
Wow that duck orchid is amazing! Looks exactly like a duck midflight. Fantastic pics as usual.
 
your pics are outstanding, getting better and better, some you would think have been setup in a studio the light and colours are so good, have you got a pic of evry aussie herp know
 
Stunning shots as always David. I never tire of seeing your work, thanks for sharing mate :D
 
Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

Ryan,
I think that the two mustard-bellies are different animals. Here are closeups of the two. Notice that the dark brown spotting behind the eye is not the same. Also, the dark spots on the lips vary as well. The snakes were found about 100m apart.

... last week:
mustard9.jpg


... today:
mustard7.jpg



Thanks, bigi. I have begun to use a flash diffuser which certainly improves the shots of shiny herps. I have many photos but am only about a third of the way there. Australia is so big and there are many species that are hard to find and with tiny distributions.


Marty, Just-Joshin was spot-on.



Regards,
David
 
yes I can see a difference in the pattern on the head, that is strange that for so long they havnt been there and niw they are, probably a reason for it. would love to know. when you are taking these shots. do you lay down or crouch? I try that but I can never get shots like I am looking up at the animal like yours of the snake
 
Top stuff David, excellent photo's agian, very interesting about the Golden Crowns never observed that from all them i have seen.
Thanks Tim.
 
Thanks again, everyone.

Sounds like the blood on the golden-crown is a very unusual sight. It would be interesting to know what caused this ... hopefully, they had not been hit by a car.


Ryan,
I prefer shots that are taken at about the same level as the reptiles. So, I lay flat and stretch out to shoot. I really need to find something to put on my knees and elbows since laying down like that can be uncomfortable if on rocks.


Regards,
David
 
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