Musings on life and times
The St Andrew’s Cross Spiders (Argiope keyserlingi), are so named for their bright web decorations which roughly resemble the Cross of St Andrew. They are non aggressive, and low risk (non toxic) to humans. The pine needle visible in the top photo is just nuisance value when the menu calls for insects, even up to twice its size!
We are very fortunate in Eastern Australia to have a wide variety of native birds, many of which are not intimidated by the onslaught of suburbia. One such species is the Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)
In our experience, they usually travel in pairs, the red headed male looking after his partner, or vice versa. While we do not feed them, we do plant lots of native shrubs and trees to encourage their visits. The other day, this couple seemed to think there might be a feed if they hung around for a few minutes. When there was nothing forthcoming, they left to forage elsewhere.
Any tasty morsels on this orchid? If not, I’ll turn my back on you!
… while hubby keeps watch from the safety of the tree.
A couple of lonely ants finding the sweet nectar deep inside these Poinsettia flowers
