moloch05
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Last Sunday, my wife and I visited Mt. Field National Park in the south-central portion of Tasmania. This park is only about an hour's drive from Hobart.
After entering the park, we continued up the road to the "high-country" (1000m) near Lake Dobson. The day was cool but we had a nice time walking through the alpine habitat to one of the ancient tarns (lake formed by a glacier). This area was really beautiful with all sorts of strange plants and a few reptiles.
Here are photos of Lake Dobson and then the surrounding areas:
Skinks were abundant but once again were difficult to identify. To me, these look more like Mountain Skinks (Niveoscincus orocryptus) than Southern Snow Skinks (N. microlepidotus) but I am not certain of their identity. Most of these skinks had a mid-dorsal stripe whereas this was lacking on the Southern Snow Skinks from Mt. Wellington. They were unwary and ignored us as we walked by them.
The most exciting find on the walk was an adult White-lipped Snake (Drysdalia coronoides) that was basking on the trail. This small elapid is a predator of the skinks.
I was pleased to find these Pandani (Richea pandanifolia), the largest of all of the Australian heaths (Epacridaceae). This Tassie endemic is a giant that looks much like the unrelated Pandanus of the northern tropics.
... one of the southern conifers. I think that it is a Pencil Pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides), one of several odd conifers grow in these mountain forests.
... colourful fruits on this shrub. I don't know its name.
... Tasmanian Pademelon
After entering the park, we continued up the road to the "high-country" (1000m) near Lake Dobson. The day was cool but we had a nice time walking through the alpine habitat to one of the ancient tarns (lake formed by a glacier). This area was really beautiful with all sorts of strange plants and a few reptiles.
Here are photos of Lake Dobson and then the surrounding areas:
Skinks were abundant but once again were difficult to identify. To me, these look more like Mountain Skinks (Niveoscincus orocryptus) than Southern Snow Skinks (N. microlepidotus) but I am not certain of their identity. Most of these skinks had a mid-dorsal stripe whereas this was lacking on the Southern Snow Skinks from Mt. Wellington. They were unwary and ignored us as we walked by them.
The most exciting find on the walk was an adult White-lipped Snake (Drysdalia coronoides) that was basking on the trail. This small elapid is a predator of the skinks.
I was pleased to find these Pandani (Richea pandanifolia), the largest of all of the Australian heaths (Epacridaceae). This Tassie endemic is a giant that looks much like the unrelated Pandanus of the northern tropics.
... one of the southern conifers. I think that it is a Pencil Pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides), one of several odd conifers grow in these mountain forests.
... colourful fruits on this shrub. I don't know its name.
... Tasmanian Pademelon
