A few months ago a Union Jack Wolf Spider excavated a home burrow in the strawberry bed, and since then has grown steadily in size. The diameter of the burrow is now 30 mm, and the impressive spider spends quite a bit of time enjoying the sun at the entrance.

Braconid wasps are still seeking caterpillars for larvae food on the tree trunks.

Genus Bracon.

Callibracon capitator.

Leaves on the Eucalyptus parramattensis have been neatly scalloped.

It didn’t take long to find the culprits, several hanging out together.

A Yellow-winged Locust, Gastrimargus musicus sat calmly for the snapshot.

In to the moth light as if to celebrate the rain, a Giant Water Beetle, Hydrophilus latipalpus.

And a Mayfly species, Order Ephemeroptera.

A recent post detailed the number of Jade Hunter dragonflies observed by the river, but a few days later they had completely disappeared. Then, a month later they were found again during a walk along the disused old road in the reserve, adjacent to the creek that enters the river just upstream from the first sighting. This open area surrounded by vegetation is the type of location favoured by patrolling dragonflies.

The old road.

A mating pair was photographed, wings of both having become tattered during the intervening weeks.

Free flying  individuals were numerous, but two more visits seeking photos were unsuccessful, they were extremely wary, and perched individuals  took off with the camera still many metres away. Australian Emeralds were much more cooperative.

Another surprise was in store however, an interesting small butterfly took off and disappeared for a short time, then returned and perched just a metre away, posing happily for the camera. It was a Splendid Ochre, Trapezites symmomus, also known as the Symmomus Rush-skipper. A favoured larval food plant is Lomandra, and at a planting day over fifteen years ago two Lomandras were put in the ground nearby, and have grown into large clumps. A lesson there on planting to encourage biodiversity.