It has been a good wet season here, nothing dramatic like in many parts across northern Australia, but regular, moderate rainfall. After about 1.5 metres of rain since October, it is nice to see the sun for a whole day!
The bridging planks across our little creek have been submerged for a while.
Most of our frogs do not breed in fast-flowing, deep water, they prefer the shallow ‘creek’ that forms along our driveway. The Orange-thighed Treefrogs had an excellent season, with noisy orgies almost every night for weeks.
The finches love to bath in the shallow water:
Summer is the best time to see insects, like this Spiny Forest Katydid nymph.
It is also the season for cicadas. This summer we had especially many Golden Emperors:
Spiders are plentiful, too, like this tiny Jumping Spider. 6 of him would fit easily onto my fingernail:
Velvet Worms are not uncommon, but very secretive and seldomly seen. Humid conditions bring them to the surface:
They are not worms at all, and their stumpy legs are filled with fluid. For more interesting facts about them, have a look at this website: https://www.wettropics.gov.au/the-velvet-worm
New shoots everywhere:
Many birds are now showing their offspring around. Laughing Kookaburras are only occasional visitors here:
Bassian Thrushes are secretive, but youngsters sometimes do unexpected things, like perching high on a branch:
The latest addition to our group of Red-legged Pademelons:
