Windorah, QLD. Oct 2010

[moloch]

Hello everyone,

It is spring here in southeastern Australia and the butterflies are back again. Unfortunately, work has consumed most of my time for the last few months. Two weeks ago, I was able to take a 5-day break. My original intent was to travel up to the subtropics of northern NSW to search for Richmond Birdwings but the weather forecast was poor. I decided instead to head out to Windorah in the channel country of south western Queensland. I am really pleased now about that decision. Inland Australia has received an enormous amount of rain this year and it looks so different. It is lush and green and the animals have responded accordingly. It really was a lovely sight.

Butterflies are normally scarce in the interior but with this season of abundance, they were out in good numbers. I saw Chequered Swallowtails (Papilio demoleus), Orchard Swallowtails (Papilio aegeus), Small Grass Yellows (Eurema smilax), Spotted Jezabels (Delias aganippe), Caper Whites (Belenois java), Meadow Argus (Junonia villida), Lesser Wanderer (Danaus chrysippus), Long-tailed Pea Blue (Lampides boeticus), Two-spotted Line-blue (Nacaduba biocellata), Saltbush Blue (Theclinesthnes serpentata) and Common Grass-blue (Zizina labradus). I was able to photograph a few and will add these to this post. I decided to group the photos by habitat and mix in the various plants and animals that live in these places. I thought that this approach might give you a better feel for what you would likely see if you choose to travel through the Aussie outback.

Firstly, I will start with the area right around the little town of Windorah. This are is lovely with its red dunes. This year, the flanks of the dunes were mostly covered with grasses and annuals so that only the crests of many dunes were exposed. Spinifex is the dominant plant here. It is a bunch grass with stiff and sharply pointed leaves. These definitely get one's attention when walking through this sort of habitat. Spinifex is also the favoured home of a large number of reptiles. The interior of the clumps provide protection, shade are slightly more humid than in surrounding areas. Some species such as the beautiful Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) live exclusively within Spinifex.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat23.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat7.jpg


These fruits looked similar to watermelons but their skin was tough. Something enjoyed them and a number had been chewed open.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat14_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat11_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat15.jpg

[moloch]

I think that this is a Two-spotted Line-blue (Nacaduba biocellata),
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyblue2.jpg


I am not certain but I think that the following are Common Grass-blue (Zizina labradus). They were the most common butterfly on the dunes but they rarely sat still for long.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyblue3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyblue4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyblue1.jpg


I don't recognize this butterfly. It appears to be quite worn but there was very little obvious pattern.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyblue6.jpg

I saw one of the blues land and lay eggs on this pea:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flowerpea1.jpg


Again, I am not certain but I think this to be a Long-tailed Pea Blue (Lampides boeticus). The lower wing was tattered so I could not see whether it had a tail.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyLampidesboeticusLongtailedPeaBlue.jpg

[moloch]

Chequered Swallowtails (Papilio demoleus) were common on the flanks of the dunes. I also found a couple where roadworks were underway. A truck had just sprayed the road and a swallowtails and blues stopped to puddle.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyswallowtail1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyswallowtail2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyswallowtail3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyswallowtail4.jpg


A colourful hemipteran:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Coreid1.jpg


Variegated Fairy Wren. These travel about in small flocks that usually remain within cover. I tried squeaking and this male briefly emerged. They are great looking little birds.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdVariegatedFairy-Wren.jpg

[moloch]

Flats like this were the home of many lizards as well as the Chequered Swallowtails.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat22.jpg

One of my favourites was the Central Military Dragon (Ctenophorus isolepis). These are gravid females:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophorusisolepis3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophorusisolepis2.jpg


... and nicely marked males. These males in breeding colours have a yellow stripe on the face.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophorusisolepis4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophorusisolepis6.jpg


Central Netted Dragons (Ctenophorus nuchalis) were also common. Their behaviour is so strange. When they were basking on the road, I could usually step out of the car, lay down next to them and take as many photos as I want. If, however, they were basking on something natural such as a termite mound, they were almost impossible to approach.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophorusnuchalis1a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophorusnuchalis2.jpg


Central Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) were particularly common this year. They are looked plump and had no doubt been eating some of the hordes of grasshoppers and locusts. These lizards change colour with their emotion. When displaying, they often became very pale above and their throat and chests were black. They would stand with their head held high and occasionally bob at other nearby dragons.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pogonavitticeps10.jpg

[moloch]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat14.jpg

These small skinks were common on the crests of the dunes. I think that they are Wedge-snout Ctenotus (Ctenotus brooksi).
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenotusbrooksii1.jpg

Leonhard's Ctenotus (Ctenotus leonhardii)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenotusleonhardii1.jpg

Sand Goanna (Varanus gouldii)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Varanusgouldii3.jpg

Yellow-spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes): I always love to see these giant lizards. They are one of the biggest species in the world. On this trip, I unfortunately only encountered this single animal. It was foraging in tall grass along a flowing creek. Despite its large size, I lost it immediately when it stepped off the road so I could not take any better photos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Varanuspanoptes1.jpg

Night driving produced some lovely geckos. These Smooth Knob-tailed Geckos (Nephrurus laevis) are such cuties:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Nephruruslaevis4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Nephruruslaevis3.jpg

This Western Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigriceps) looks like a snake but it is actually a lizard. This family is closely related to the geckos and is endemic to Australia.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pygopusnigriceps1.jpg

[moloch]

Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus ciliaris). I saw many of these this year. There are two very similar species here on the dunes but this year, I failed to find any S. krisalys. They are easy to separate since S. krisalys has a blue lining to the mouth whereas the mouth lining of S. ciliaris is orange.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Strophuruskrisalys1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Strophuruskrisalys3.jpg

Snakes were surprisingly scarce. I saw three of these small elapids (e.g., cobra family) known as Ringed Brown Snakes (Pseudonaja modesta). The juvenile was quite colourful but the adults were drab.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pseudonajamodestus1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pseudonarjamodestus.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pseudonarjamodestus3.jpg

Nice, fat kangaroos that were out foraging at dusk.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/kangaroo1.jpg

Animal life was abundant on the dunes. This was obvious the following morning when looking at all of the tracks in the sand.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitattracks1.jpg

[moloch]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flower3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flower15_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flower14a_400-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowerMourningGlory1_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowerHibiscus1_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flower23.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat16.jpg

[moloch]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowergrevillea1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowergrevillea2_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowergrevillea4_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowergrevillea3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat16a_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat19a_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat19.jpg

[Great Mormon]

It looks so bone dry out there! The pictures of the wild flowering shrubs look very beautiful against the reddish ground and the blue sky! Those melons dotting the slopes look very fascinating indeed from my city slicker point of view.

Thanks for sharing your journey with us! :cheers:

[Bluebottle]

Another great photo journal :thumbsup:



Animal life was abundant on the dunes. This was obvious the following morning when looking at all of the tracks in the sand.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitattracks1.jpg

Really like this one. Can you tell who has visited the place last night? :bsmile:

[bluefin]

Beautiful series of shots David. The Geckos are really interesting. :cheers:

[moloch]

Thanks, Anthony. It does look dry but there was much more water and green plant growth than usual. Inland Australia is so totally different to the part of the world where you live. I enjoy visited both.


Thanks, Loke. At night, I saw one of the species of hopping mice on a number of occasions. They run like little kangaroos and would have been the source of some of those tracks. Here is another distinctive track. This one was made by a Sand Goanna crossing the dune:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitattracks2.jpg


Thanks, Nelson. Geckos are one of my favourite lizard families and Windorah is a great place for them. It still was a little cool at night so the reptile activity was not as good as it would be next month.


Regards,
David

[moloch]

A paved one-lane road continues west from Windorah for about 140kms. It is strange since it really seems to lead nowhere at all and ends with dirt tracks that continue into the interior. This country is interesting with different animals to those of the dunes that surround Windorah.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat25.jpg

The road reaches the rim of the Eyrean Basin about 80kms west of Windorah. The basin is huge and was once an inland sea.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat6.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat12.jpg

I saw a number of these "Road Trains". They were moving cattle mostly at night. They tended to travel in convoys of 4 or 5 vehicles that were spaced about a km apart. Their roar was ominous at night and I could hear them when they were a number of kms away. Slowly, the noise would grow in volume and then I would begin to see their flickering headlights. Once they were close, I pulled my car off the road as far as possible, waited for the beasts to flash past and hoped that they would not throw a rock through my windscreen.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/roadtrain.jpg


Places like this were home to Ring-tailed Dragons (Ctenophorus caudicinctus)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat13.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophoruscaudicinctus2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Ctenophoruscaudicinctus1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowerEremomela2.jpg

[moloch]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowerSolanum1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flower5.jpg

Diamond Dove -- common small dove
Hall's Babbler -- an endemic to the channel country
Crested Bellbird -- has a lovely call that is difficult to locate.
Spinifex Pigeon -- The pigeons are quail-like. They tend to run and then explode into flight when frightened.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdDiamondDove.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdHallsBabbler1_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdCrestedBellbird1_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdSpinifexPigeon1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdSpinifexPigeon2.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat8.jpg

[moloch]

This area is usually rocky and almost devoid of small plants. It looked so different this year.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/habitat24.jpg

This is the Morney Plain. It is the home of the Fierce Snake and I had hoped to look for it this year. The plant cover was much to thick so it was not possible to spot basking snakes. I think that the Fierce Snakes would be feasting on the abundant rats. Their population will probably increase in the next year or two. It was strange to walk around here and be eaten alive by mosquitos during the day. They were unexpected in this normally arid environment.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat5.jpg

There was a locust plague out on the plains. It was an eerie sight at dusk to see thousands and thousands of these insects take flight. Fortunately, most flew 3-5 m above the ground. I still needed to close my windows so that I did not get smacked in the side of the head by one of these big insects. Driving through the swarm felt really strange. I had to clean my radiator the next morning since it was packed with dead insects.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/locust1.jpg

Blues like this were common on the Morney Plains. I am not certain of their identity.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyblue5.jpg

Tesselated Geckos (Diplodactylus tesselatus) were the common reptile here at night.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Diplodactylustesselatus1.jpg

Eyrean Earless Dragons (Tympanocryptis tetraporiphora) were abundant in this sort of habitat. I saw many gravid females like the lizard in the first photo below as they basked on the road. When the day became hot, they often stood upright with their tails arched upward for balance.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Tympanocryptistetraporiphora4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Tympanocryptistetraporiphora3.jpg

I found two of these Myall Snakes (Suta suta) on the plains. They are small elapids.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Sutasuta1.jpg

[orionmystery]

Wonderful set David. This place is great for landscape and wildlife! Esp like the reptile shots!

[Silverstreak]

David,

Wonderful set of shots on the landscape and the variety of critters living in these semi-desert condition!

Thank you for the generous sharing!!!


Cheers!

[moloch]

Thanks very much, Kurt and Sunny.

We might not have the wonderful diversity of butterflies that you have in Singapore and Malaysia, but Australia is fantastic for reptiles. There are over 900 species here.

[moloch]

The following set of photos was taken in areas to the south of Windorah while I headed back to Wollongong.

In this season of plenty, all of the animals seemed to be reproducing as quickly as possible. This shot of an Emu dad and kids was typical. Most had troops of up to 10 young following them around. The dads are protective of the kids and they would often run towards me while the kids scampered away.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdemu1.jpg

Pink or Major Mitchell's Cockatoos were numerous along the roads. I wish that I could capture one in flight but that is hard to do. The under wing linings are a beautiful salmon colour. They are really gorgeous birds.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/birdPinkCockatoo.jpg

Roadsides near Cunnamulla were lined with flowers.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitatCunnamulla1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flower7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flower6_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flower22_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flower10.jpg

[moloch]

Central Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) were common in the Cunnamulla area. I watched a territorial dispute between two of these males. They walked with their heads held high and their tails curled upwards. One approached the other and they both bobbed their heads. After awhile, one arched its back a little like a cat, then resumed the normal position and marched away. There was no contact at all between the males.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pogonavitticeps1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pogonavitticeps7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pogonavitticeps8_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pogonavitticeps9_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pogonavitticeps6.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Pogonavitticeps4.jpg

I normally see large numbers of Shinglebacks (Tiliqua rugosa) on trips through this area. For some reason, I only encountered this single, half-grown animal. It looked grumpy and displayed when I approached it for photos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Tiliquarugosa2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Tiliquarugosa1.jpg

[moloch]

Monitors were common in this habitat.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitatVaranustristis1.jpg

Sand Goannas (Varanus gouldii) were particularly common but I also saw a few Black-headed Monitors (V. tristis). The following pair of Black-headed Monitors had me totally confused when I passed them at high speed. I glanced in the rear-view mirror but still could not recognize what I had just seen. I thought that it was something dead on the road but could not make it out. I spun the car around and returned to find this sight ... definitely not dead and in fact, quite enthusiastic!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Varanustristis1.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Varanusgouldii5.jpg

Both Black-headed and Sand Goannas will readily climb trees.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Varanusgouldii1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Varanusgouldii2.jpg


Burn's Lashtails (Amphibolurus burnsi) were one of the common lizards on this trip. They lived in this open habitat as well as well wooded areas.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat21.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Amphibolurusburnsi1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/Amphibolurusburnsi2.jpg

[moloch]

This dry, rather boring looking habitat near Bourke, NSW, was the home of a nice Jezabel.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyDeliashabitat.jpg

These Spotted Jezabels (Delias aganippe) were common but they usually remained at tree-top height. I took a half-hour break here and finally found one that had perched low enough for a couple of photos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyDelias1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/butterflyDelias2.jpg

At dusk, I made a detour from Bourke and continued driving south towards Cobar. The road that I followed borders on Gundabooka National Park. I have seen some interesting reptiles in this area before and since the evening was mild, I hoped to find a few others. This area proved to have received lots of rain like Queensland and their were pools of water on both sides of the road. I only found two reptiles including the following Prickly Gecko (Heteronotia binoei) and a Box-patterned Gecko (Lucasium steindachneri).
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Heteronotiabinoei1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Lucasiumsteindachneri1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/Lucasiumsteindachneri2.jpg


The highlight to me was finding one of the frogs that was high on my wish list. These are Holy Cross or Crucifix Toads (Notaden bennetti). They actually are frogs and not toads despite the name. These frogs remain dormant underground for years until good rains arrive. They then dig their way to the surface and enter a breeding frenzy. When calling, they look so bizarre!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNotaden2a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNotaden5.jpg

[moloch]

Common Spadefoot Toad (Neobatrachus sudelli) is another of the burrowing frogs. These were the most common frog around the roadside pools.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNeobatrachus4a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNeobatrachus2_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNeobatrachus1_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowereverlastings1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowereverlastings2_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flower2_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flower13-1.jpg

Some mulla mullas (Ptilotus sp.) are colourful but this one was rather drab. I like their fluffy flowers.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowermullamulla.jpg

[moloch]

An Eremophila sp.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/flowerEremomela1.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/First/flower9.jpg



Well, that is it for now. I hope that you enjoyed the view of inland Australia. I had lots of fun although I spent too much time driving. I covered about 5000kms in 5.5 days. Australia is a big place!

Regards,
David

[Painted Jezebel]

Wonderful series, David, thank you. I hope the Tourist Board are paying you!

It was great to see the D. aganippe. My understanding is that this species is one of the most primitive of the Delias.

[moloch]

Thanks, Les. I was hoping that you had a look at the post so that you would see the Jezabel. Their flight was slow and rather different to the other Delias that I have seen.

[Glorious Begum]

What a wonderful series. Thanks for sharing it here. :cheers:

[Commander]

That's an interesting Jezebel, David. How nice it would be if one of these species could somehow immigrate to Singapore!

Those frogs look interesting. The aposematic bright colours seem to suggest that they will be poisonous or something like that. Are they?

[moloch]

Thanks, LC and Khew.

Khew,
I don't believe that the frog is poisonous despite the colouration. It does produce a powerful non-toxic glue from its skin when it is disturbed. I think that it is a termite specialist.

Here are a few more shots of this species.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNotaden6.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNotaden7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/frogNotaden1-1.jpg

Regards,
David

[moloch]

Here are a few more photos to show how different it looked out there this year. It was amazing to see how the plants responded to rain.


The photos on the left are from 2007 or 2008. Those on the right are from 2010.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/2008basin2.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat8b_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/2008basin.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat24_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/2008rim.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat6_400.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/2007morney.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Windorah/Oct2010/sec/habitat5_400.jpg