patrick_campbell's Favourites

Young, 40cm high fern (three stipes) growing on banks of Cemetery (Cattai) Creek in Bellingen Park (adjacent to Creek Lane) in remnant, regenerating and restored Lowland Floodplain Subtropical Rainforest. Correct habitat (on the banks of a permanent creek), apparently a natural occurrence but well out of range for this New South Wales threatened species.

A lace monitor hasn't been noticed by anyone here before - that's in over thirty years. As it meandered across the block the resident birds noisily bustled around trying to see it off. A spotted quail-thrush patiently tailed it on foot at a safe distance. It left after a couple of days and hasn't returned.

These skinks have taken over my garden. There are definite territories between the Shadeskinks and the Striped Skinks. The latter only recently returning to the garden. Although the Shadeskinks are small, they are bold - and even scare the cat!

Specimen detected beneath a small rock where it appeared to be associated with an ant colony/nest.
The find was noted and a story published in the Mudgee Examiner local newspaper around that time. It was reported as a new find and first record of the species/genus for the Hunter Valley and broader Sydney Basin bioregion.

These two majestic trees of the same species towered over all other trees in this location. One of them looked to be an Aboriginal scarred tree, as the base of the trunk had a shield-shaped wound and other man-made/carved markings in the heartwood. A few other trees in the vicinity had similar old wounds.

The ground beneath these two trees was littered with distinctive Syncarpia fruit, that could be described as alien spaceships with portholes.

Growing in a damp, protected gully, below a small cliff near a waterfall.
SW aspect with relatively good light.

Fronds pendent, all similar, mostly pinnate, bright green. Margins of pinnae becoming more coarsely toothed towards apices, with distinctly drawn out apices, which is a characteristic feature of B. gregsonii.

Grevillea juniperina subsp. sulphurea, Red-flowering form. About 8 plants growing in a disturbed swampy area with Eucalyptus pauciflora, E. viminalis, Leptospermum obovatum, Dillwynia phylicoides, Leucochrysum albicans, Cassinia sp. Leaves with a single vein, silky underneath. New branchlets silky hairy.

At a glance, the sparse foliage and bright yellow flowers distinguish this species from the other two local Prickly Moses species.

Key distinguishing features:
Phyllodes ± 4-angled and tapered evenly from near base to apex; pods strongly constricted between the seeds; peduncles slender, <0.3 mm diam.
Phyllodes not broadening at base (without a gland-angle), not crowded on stems (usually <5 nodes per cm); stipules usually <1 mm long, not persistent; flower heads bright yellow.

This is the best moment for me, there are two Flatback sea turtles (Natator depressus) that are being mated! Amazing once in a life time experience... I've the visual image save in my memory but very jealous I've an actual photo this cool... Would love to go back again.... I'm seeing more and more turtles with disease, but I'm also seeing a lot more turtles in the ocean, is there a connection between the population growth and spread of disease?