Nature's Place

The Season has moved on. The light has changed. It’s still bright to my eye, and the camera, but the grass knows the difference, it has stopped growing so fast. That relieves me of mowing it so much. Laughs! Quietly to himself.

You can tell the temperature is in the ‘pleasant’ range when the butter doesn’t melt in the dish any more.

There is a big gum tree out the front of the house, the branches reaching to six metres in all directions, it casts a wide shadow. I leave the grass to grow under it to accommodate the creatures that benefit from it.

The Rosella’s that visit in pairs enjoy the grass seed and the cover of the lower branches. It is good hunting ground for the green tree frogs that are now abundant here. And white butterfly’s visit the bright yellow dandelions.

I am pleased to sit and watch when these things happen. Though I need a good torch for the nocturnal frogs.

Young green tree frogs have been showing up at the house for a while now. They often come to the window when I’m working on the computer at night, to catch the insects that are attracted to the light. It’s on the dry side of the house so I suspect they come from the nature reserve or the creek nearby.

If I see one on my rounds at night, to collect the cane toads, I bring it round the back of the house where there is plenty of water. The old water tank and the pot plant trays provide a dependable supply of moisture. A must if frogs are to stay around the place.

Down at the water tank I have planted some tomatoes and I also throw the grass clippings and other green stuff there so there are plenty of insects to feed them as well.

There is a small yellow plant holder where three green tree frogs have made their home. That’s the exposed view, there is a small tub that fits nicely inside leaving plenty of room for the frogs and it keeps the birds from getting in. I check them occasionally and it pleases me they are there.

A young Currawong was getting a bit curious around the container yesterday so I shooed him away. There is plenty of other food for him around here, he’s not getting the frogs if I can help it.

I came across a dragon in the garden a couple of days ago, so the frogs better watch out again. It’s a veritable jungle out in small creature world.

I wonder how Man would do these days if it was a big creature jungle. Not well I suspect.

It’s a Water Dragon, there is an irrigation channel nearby and I suspect he comes from there. Irrigation channels for the sugar cane farms a little way down the road. It’s to be expected the predators will show up after the frogs.

They must be able to tell, either by the physical signs or by an innate sense of where food is. A bit of both I reckon. The inner sense giving them the general way, place or direction. The senses doing the detail work.

Having removed the dominating presence of the cane toad from the acre I live on, plus a few other things, the local biodiversity is burgeoning. Those Cane Toads are so prolific it has made a big difference keeping their numbers down.

I think this is a Morning Glory flower, a lovely mauve colour. They are everywhere in this area and have been made famous in songs from the seventies. What for I couldn’t tell you. But the name speaks volumes.

It is a lovely sight and has a smooth velvety feel. It had just been washed down in the shower of rain that fell a few minutes before. There is a crisp clean sense to the earth after it rains.

Today’s weather is variable indeed, heavy clouds in a big blue sky.

All Copyright Reserved / Mark Berkery