Moss formed like Stag Pile Carpet

No. PB270733
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Rice Bubble Grasses

No. PB270716
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Native Wildflower

No. PB270704a
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

European Honey Bee at Work on a Native Paper Daisy

No. PB270688
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Orange Everlasting,
Bracteantha subundulata

A perennial herbaceous daisy with branching underground stems forming large flat clumps, bearing crowded leaves and erect leafy flowering stems. Leaves narrow-lanceolate to obovate, bluntly pointed, surface rough, sometimes with cobwebby hairs at base and on margins. Large flower heads 3-4 cm across, with stiff bracts, straw-like in texture, outermost brownish, inner bright golden-yellow, occasionally white, on unbranched stems. Disc florets yellow, pappus of stiff yellow hairs. Flowering January-March. Widespread, montane grasslands and heaths to mountain summits. Tas, Vic, NSW.

Baby Grasshopper Emerges for Garzinia

No. PB270668
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Wingless Grasshopper,
Phaulacridium vittatum

The Wingless Grasshopper is a native insect that feeds on a wide variety of plant material. They are pests maijnly in areas where there have been established pastures prior to planting with trees. They are found throughout southern Australia. They are gregarious insects and often congregate in large swarms.

Description:
Newly emerged nymphs are less than 2mm in length and grey/black in colour. They resemble adults but are considerably smaller and have small wing buds.

Adults range from 12-20mm in length. They are brownish in colour with orange hindlegs. Some have a white stripe on each side of the thorax. Most adults have a pair of small, non-functional wings, but some do develop functional wings and are capable of flying short distances.

Wingless grasshoppers usually have one generation per year.

Eggs are laid in pods in the soil from late January through to March/April. They are usually laid in sandy areas or areas where vegetation is sparse. Each pod contains 10-16 eggs and is deposited 1-2 cms below the soil surface. The eggs remain dormant over winter and further development begins in spring when soil temperatures rise. Hatching occurs from late September/October to December depending on the location and the season. Hatching may be extended over several weeks.

There are five nymphal stages before the hoppers become adults. First stage nymphs may be found from late October onwards. The nymphs do not move very far from where they hatched and they usually remain in isolated patches.

The nymphs begin developing into adults late in November and most are adults by late December. As the availability of greenfeed declines in mid-summer and autumn, the hoppers begin to move and those that hatch outside plantations may move in and damage young trees. Some will develop wings which enable them to disperse further. The proportion of the population that develops wings is greater if population numbers are high.

Lichens and Moss

No. PB270731
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Lichens and Moss

No. PB270732
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Native Wildflower

No. PB270706
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Native Wildflower

No. PB270679.jpg
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Sundew Carnivorous Plant

No. PB270673
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Sundew,
Drosera peltata subsp. auriculata

A slender green insectivorous plant growing from a buried tuber. Lower leaves in rosette or reduced to scales. Stem erect, stem leaves stalked, peltate, shield shaped, covered with sticky hairs longer at the upper pointed `ears'. The hairs trap and digest small insects. Flowers 1-1.5 cm across, few, terminal, white or pinkish, sepals hairless, smooth, shining. Flowering spring-summer. Common, widespread in heaths and on dry hillsides at low altitudes. Tas, Vic, NSW, Qld, SA; New Zealand.

Native Wildflower

No. PB250532
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Native Sundew (Carnivorous Plant) & Fungi

No. PB250522
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Sundew,
Drosera peltata subsp. auriculata

A slender green insectivorous plant growing from a buried tuber. Lower leaves in rosette or reduced to scales. Stem erect, stem leaves stalked, peltate, shield shaped, covered with sticky hairs longer at the upper pointed `ears'. The hairs trap and digest small insects. Flowers 1-1.5 cm across, few, terminal, white or pinkish, sepals hairless, smooth, shining. Flowering spring-summer. Common, widespread in heaths and on dry hillsides at low altitudes. Tas, Vic, NSW, Qld, SA; New Zealand.

Native Sundew (Carnivorous Plant)

No. PB250500
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Sundew,
Drosera peltata subsp. auriculata

A slender green insectivorous plant growing from a buried tuber. Lower leaves in rosette or reduced to scales. Stem erect, stem leaves stalked, peltate, shield shaped, covered with sticky hairs longer at the upper pointed `ears'. The hairs trap and digest small insects. Flowers 1-1.5 cm across, few, terminal, white or pinkish, sepals hairless, smooth, shining. Flowering spring-summer. Common, widespread in heaths and on dry hillsides at low altitudes. Tas, Vic, NSW, Qld, SA; New Zealand.

Native Sundew (Carnivorous Plant)

No. PB250484
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Sundew,
Drosera peltata subsp. auriculata

A slender green insectivorous plant growing from a buried tuber. Lower leaves in rosette or reduced to scales. Stem erect, stem leaves stalked, peltate, shield shaped, covered with sticky hairs longer at the upper pointed `ears'. The hairs trap and digest small insects. Flowers 1-1.5 cm across, few, terminal, white or pinkish, sepals hairless, smooth, shining. Flowering spring-summer. Common, widespread in heaths and on dry hillsides at low altitudes. Tas, Vic, NSW, Qld, SA; New Zealand.

Blue Grass Lily, Native Wildflower

No. PB250475
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Blue Grass Lily,
Thelionema caespitosum

A lily with grass-like leaves, to 30 cm high often in small tussocks. Flowers pale yellow or blue, star-like in a branched inflorescence, 6 perianth members, 6 stamens, yellow and bent in the open flower, stamens and anthers yellow, surrounding ovary. Fruit a capsule. Very common in coastal heaths and wet soaks. Flowering November-December. Tas, Vic, NSW, Qld, WA.

Car Grave with Native Paper Daisies

No. PB250575
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Orange Everlasting,
Bracteantha subundulata

A perennial herbaceous daisy with branching underground stems forming large flat clumps, bearing crowded leaves and erect leafy flowering stems. Leaves narrow-lanceolate to obovate, bluntly pointed, surface rough, sometimes with cobwebby hairs at base and on margins. Large flower heads 3-4 cm across, with stiff bracts, straw-like in texture, outermost brownish, inner bright golden-yellow, occasionally white, on unbranched stems. Disc florets yellow, pappus of stiff yellow hairs. Flowering January-March. Widespread, montane grasslands and heaths to mountain summits. Tas, Vic, NSW.

Ennter the Moss Forest

No. PB270736.jpg
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©

Lichens and Moss

No. PB250533
Photographed by Sparra Mc ©