Nature's Place

After three days rain and cloud cover the temperature dropped to around 24C, very comfortable. Today it was straight back up to over 30C, very uncomfortable with all the evaporation. But it was sunny for a change.

There’s a universe in a bush. This one came down from Brisbane as a hitcher in another flower pot. I planted it to see what would grow. And it loves it here.

I was wandering in the garden this morning to see what came out with the sun and I stopped at the bush to have a close look. You wouldn’t believe how many creatures live on it. The first one I came across was the assassin bug, so called for its sword like proboscis that it plunges into its prey. It doesn’t really live on the bush because it has wings and can live anywhere it pleases. But today it was wandering around the bush in search of food.

A neighbour close by on another branch was this dramatic looking caterpillar fellow. He didn’t move much, just sitting there oblivious to time as we think of it. But when the wind blew and he was brushed by other leaves he shifted position to get clear.

He was about the same size as the assassin, maybe 3cm/4cm long in the body, and I don’t think they would have fought if they had met. But you never know with the assassin’s sword, and you never know with the threatening form and colour of the caterpillar, he might not taste good.

Then there was this little fellow, a baby Praying Mantis. He’s about 2cm long and he is a tiny but ferocious predator. If he hadn’t moved I would have missed him. It’s the change in the scene that attracts the attention.

There were numerous spiders of different kinds. There were a large number of green leaf spiders. They were good to watch sailing up and down on their strands of silk that allowed them to cross great divides of space between branches without having to go the long way round. Even a tiny orb spider was huddled up against the light.

And this one. I’m not sure what’s going on here. It looks like a mother looking out for her young. I definitely saw tiny spiders jumping from the nest attached to even finer strands of silk, ten to a pinhead, they were that small. But at the nest I could also see what looks like tiny grubs, I don’t think spiders evolve through a grub stage, but I could be wrong.

Maybe they were just a handy food source for the crafty spider and what I saw jumping was in fact the grubs on their fine silky lifeline looking to maximize their survival prospects by spreading throughout the bush.

There were many more creatures living on this bush, and many I didn’t see I’m sure. Next time you are out in the garden check out the universe next to you. You might be amazed.

All copyright reserved / Mark Berkery