100619 Venus Drive

Good to be back at Venus Drive again. Got to try out my new flash setup. Good results but also a torturous experience. 2 camera attached flashes hand-held is a wrist-breaking neck-wringing exercise and not exactly suitable for long periods in the field.


The eye configuration of this spider confuses me. Anyone can help?


Ornamental tree trunk spider spotted by Jac.


Another strange looking bark-dwelling spider.


Two-tailed spider (Hersiliidae).




Two rather unusual looking cockroaches (Blattaria).


Fascinating looking beetle spotted by Jac. Looks like a sunglass wearing alien.


An amusing moment when I realised the lens was too large for 5x macro on shiny objects as it casts a significant shadow (the black semi-circle on its left elytron).


Reduviidae?


Cricket (nymph?).


Large predatory terrestrial flatworm (Bipalium sp.).


Harvestman (Opiliones).






Tiny orange harvestmen. I have never seen so many (about 10) on the same small section of tree trunk before.


However, a very sad ending to the trip, all the plants on both sides of the stream were brutally cut down. Those plants were also home to much wildlife, inoffensive little creatures with no greater desire than to live out their simple lives who are now homeless or dead.