Ghostie

Ghostie 2,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This cute Ghost crab, which is well able to defend itself, seems to be above ground and waiting for the rain to stop like the rest of us at Sandy Beach, except perhaps the banana growers.

Dead Barn owl in the middle of the road

Dead Barn owl in the middle of the road,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Seen in Bray Street, Coffs Harbour the other day.

Red-bellied black snake

I don't mind snakes at a distance, but not at my back door, especially as I rarely wear shoes. So I got a bit of a start this morning when I nearly trod on a Red-bellied black snake, Pseudechis porphyriacus, one of the most common snakes in Australia (not that there's anything wrong with it). Of course, once he got a look at my ugly mug he was more scared of me than I of him.

This critter's venom is described as 'strongly haemotoxic; cytotoxic'; there is no record of anyone actually dying from the bite of one, but it will give you a very nasty suck.

It's a diurnal snake, usually found around streams, swamps, lagoons and similar restaurants serving its preferred tucker, frogs. Its diet also includes lizards, birds, mammals and some fish, even other snakes, but very rarely almanackists. Of course, almanackists who have a fishpond outside their door, with one fat goldfish and an equally chubby frog, might as well hang a 'We Speak Snake' sign on their door.

Today is now Clean-up Leaves Day around The Ponderosa.

"This snake is dangerously venomous but bites are rare because it is usually a placid and fairly docile snake, preferring to enact a lengthy bluff display with flattened neck and deep hisses rather than bite. It grows to a length of 2.5 metres, and is a very distinctive snake because of its simple and unvarying coloration. The upper surface of this snake is glossy black while the belly is light pink to brilliant red." Source

Distribution (Queensland Museum)

Large photo of Red-bellied black snake
Photo of its fangs in skeletal view
What to do for bite of the Red-belly

Snake season is here again

Tagged: australia, snakes, reptiles

Golden miracle of design

Golden miracle of design,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I hope this picture shows how the Golden orb-weaving spider gets its name. The web really is like spun gold. As you can see, one of the strands of the web traverses a long distance, about three metres, ten feet or so. But over the roof of The Ponderosa today there is a horizontal web strand, spun by a regular Orb-weaver, I think, that goes from next door to the same frangipanni tree in this picture -- a whopping ten metres or so.

By the way, the Orb-weaver who set up camp over my front door on the weekend (pictured below) has gone, and taken her web with her.Not a trace remains of that miraculous and beautiful weaving, but at least I now have this new golden one to admire. When you really look at a spider's web, it's amazing what you find, even inside yourself. Hence the grand myth of the goddess Arachne.

Orb-weaving spider locks me in

Orb-weaving spider locks me in,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I can't leave The Ponderosa without breaking her perfect web.

Pink-tongue lizard visits me

Pink-tongue lizard visits me,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This fella showed up just now. Looks like something bit off his or her tail, but it's still a cute baby -- probably of the mother whose photo I showed just a few weeks ago.

Bluebottles

Bluebottles,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Not a good day to go swimming. The nor-easter brought in a lot of stinging bluebottles this morning.

Hang glider today at Woolgoolga

Hang glider today at Woolgoolga,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This was a friendly bloke -- he gave me a wave.

Golden orb-weaving spider

Golden orb-weaving spider,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Protector of The Ponderosa.