Golden Penda Flowering
March 6th, 2010 | 
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The spectacular flowering of the Golden Penda Xanthostemon chrysanthus (MYRTACEAE) has arrived. The native habitat of the floral emblem of Cairns Region lies between the Iron Range and Cardwell. Its brilliant yellow flowers make it easily identified, particularly when adjacent water-courses carry the fallen blooms in dazzling rafts of floral beauty.
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A fantastic new phasmid
The latter part of February and early March have brought damaging winds that have toppled rainforest giants and trimmed the canopy of much of its foliage. Apart from the onerous clean-up and the re-establishment of trails, an interesting insight is temporarily available to a range of rainforest inhabitants that have hitherto remained out-of-sight. One such sighting very conveniently presented itself on our kitchen wall, initiating the unravelling of the mystery of its identity.
Predatory Katydids
Gram for gram, there’s probably not much separating the Raspy Cricket (above) from its Cicada prey. Both dropped to the ground at the feet of a small group of nightwalkers last evening, amidst the desperate, resonating alarm-calls of the victim.
Macleay’s spectre – Extatosoma tiaratum
In a most improbable sighting yesterday afternoon, an attachment to a wait-a-while rachis had the tenor of an insect, so I took a closer look and was delighted to find this male Macleay’s Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum) Spiny Leaf Insect.
Neon Cuckoo Bee (Thyreus nitidulus)
In another stunning exposé of blue, the neon cuckoo bee (Thyreus nitidulus) roosts in the company of half a dozen others, on the peripheral stems of a fallen branch.