A Sporocarp In My Garden

I have no idea which species of sporocarp (fungi) this one is (40mm long). There are thousands waiting to be identified. Maybe mine is a new one?

Fungi comprise a huge proportion of Australia’s biodiversity in terms of sheer numbers. There are many times more fungi in Australia than plants - maybe 250, 000 fungi compared to 21,000 to 23,000 native plant species. There is little known about most of them – maybe only about 5-10% have been named to date. FungiBank!

Spider Poo

I was downstairs on the weekend weeding my pavers (frustration!) when I came upon this little pile of white dots. At first I looked up thinking a tiny bird has roosted above here - but of course it was a spider!

Spiders don't eat solid food - they inject/extrude digestive fluids over their prey to liquidise it before beginning a meal.

Special hairs around the spider's mouth filter the liquefied food as it is swallowed and prevent any solid fragments entering the pharynx and stomach. Both these organs are muscular and contractile and "pump" the liquid food into the gut. Beyond the sucking stomach as it is called, the mid gut branches off into the legs (yes legs), while the main tube of the gut passes through the narrow pedicel or waist into the abdomen. Here it is surrounded by a massive liver or digestive gland.

The excretory malpighian tubes (functioning like our kidneys) enter the gut behind the digestive gland. Just before the anus there is a large pouch which stores faecal material while reabsorbing water from it prior to defaecation.

Fecal excretions are coated or filled with guanine (a highly water-insoluble organic compound, containing five nitrogen atoms per molecule).

Under a spider's web you often find sucked-dry bugs cut free from the web by the spider while house cleaning. You may also find white dots, as I did, looking like paint spatters, 1.5mm to 3mm in diameter, often with dark centers - that is spider poo!

Koala Cloud

Here's a little critter that was at work yesterday.

He wasn't very high up in the tree which sometimes indicates illness but he looked okay - with clear eyes & a clean bum.

Have a look at his bum - it's covered in white patches. This is a camoflage technique; if you're a predator under the tree looking up for dinner you see fluffy white clouds instead of koala rump. Clever eh?

Poor Possum

Lucky for you I didn't take a photograph of the remains of a ringtail possum that the cat up the road was eating this morning when I went for my walk. I could see it was eating something furry so I walked over for a closer look. The black cat stood up, barred it's teeth and hissed and growled at me - scary. There was only the tail and guts left. It's not the cat's fault, just the owner who must not be feeding it or supervising it properly. Absolutely shameful!

PS. I copied this photo from the FAWNA site which is a marvellous volunteer organisation in my local area who rescue hundreds of injured and orphaned animals every year.

More Dog Art

How's this for a work of art?
Our dog, Muddi is the white one on the left.
The neighbour's dog, Rose is on the right.
They're sleeping on each other's bed.
They look related but they're not - just good friends.

Kangaroo Koala!

How cute is this little fellow? I found him in a local op shop.

My younger brother had one when he was quite young (he's 37 now) and he loved it so much he rubbed most of the fur off. He named it Coojee Bear after a koala that Rolf Harris (Australian entertainer) used to appear with in the 70's.

The fur, by the way, is kangaroo fur - weird eh? These toys were pretty popular, especially with tourists when we were growing up but it seems you can still buy one. Mine only cost $4.00 AUD.

Please Be Kind to Spiders

It seems everyone is freaking out about my spider (see my previous post) - I can't believe it!
Hey you guys, spiders get such a raw deal - they are so important to our ecosystem. If we didn't have them insects would eat us out of house and home - literally. Spiders do the really important job of eating all the insects that would help themselves to our crops if they didn't have their numbers kept in check. Seriously there just wouldn't be enough food to go around.

Spiders have amazing personalities too. They know if you are not terrified of them and if you talk nicely to them they get friendly. Ever read Charlotte's Web?
Okay here's a challenge for you - make friends with a spider today.

Or that seems a little beyond the pail - If you find one in your house and you'd rather it was outside, instead of spraying half a can of fly spray on it try this method...

Tell it you would rather it stayed outside. Them tell it kindly that you'll help it get outside. Then get a plastic container larger than the diameter of it's legs and calmly place it over the spider. Next slide a piece of paper under the container and the carefully slide your hand under the paper keeping the paper flat on the bottom. Then calmly take it all outside and drop it on the lawn or garden. Your spider will appreciate your assistance.

Let me know how you get on. Remember spiders are sentient beings too!

Check out this gorgeous baby gecko I saw when I was in Mooloolaba up the coast recently.

Spider Times

You can tell it's raining outside - the spiders are inside. Here is a beautiful Huntsman spider (harmless) sitting on the big clock on my kitchen wall. She is about 10cm across from the tip of one leg to another.

Work has been mad since I got back and I find myself doubting I actually have a life when I drive in the gates each morning. Still it's the weekend now and so I have opportunities to do my own thing.

There's a low off the east coast of Australia and places are flooding an hour or so north of us. Really we haven't had the amount of rain they have but it's headed our way.