Weather Changes and Wildlife Movements Coincidental?
May 8th, 2013 | 
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This giant green white-lipped tree frog (Litoria infrafrenata), is just one of a number of wildlife movements that we noted in April and the beginning of May. During the warmer summer months, our tree frogs return to the rainforest, but during the cooler months, they have their favourite resting places in our house. This one is sometimes called ‘The speaker of the House’ because he often sleeps on our television speakers. Other times he is the clock frog or the kitchen frog or the soup ladle frog, but he never becomes an ingredient in our soup.
Posted in Fauna, Life in the Daintree | 
Tags: Australian tree frogs, Daintree rainforest fauna | 
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Queensland Ecotourism Plan – Draft for Comment
Queensland’s Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (NPRSR) has published its Draft 2013 Ecotourism Plan for public consultation. Beautifully presented with fantastic images of natural vistas, our public environment officials have presented their draft view of ecotourism, and in doing so seem to have attempted to leverage commercial tourism in National Parks into the more exclusive strata of both ecotourism and Australia’s National Landscapes program.
Supreme Ruler of the Rainforest
Strangler Figs dominate the skyline of the rainforest creating rounded domes that tower over other big trees. Figs (ficus species) are deciduous and shed their leaves to give nourishment to the large number of plants that reside under their umbrellas. When the new leaves emerge around August-September, the domes become golden, the crowning glory of the rainforest.
North Queensland Cassowaries on World Stage
Southern Cassowary
This brilliant shot taken by National Geographic photographer Christian Ziegler won first prize in the nature section of World Press Photo contest, 2013, Nature, 1st prize singles, Christian Ziegler.
For over 55 years the World Press Photo contest has encouraged the highest standards in photojournalism. The contest creates a bridge linking the professionals with the general public. As the announcement of the winners makes headlines around the world, so the inspirational role of photojournalism is highlighted to an audience of hundreds of millions.
Enter the Zodiac Moth
This beautiful Zodiac Moth, Alcides metaurus or zodiaca, has an amazing display of irridescent yellows and pinks against black. The interesting thing is that it is diurnal (active during the day), whereas most moths are nocturnal. Like other members of the Uraniidae moth family, the preferred food of the caterpillars are plants in the Euphorbiaceae family, such as Omphalea queenslandica and Homolanthus populifolius – bleeding-heart tree. Resembling swallow-tail butterflies in shape, the moths give themselves away by flattening their wings, as they settle on the leaf and rotating to face down towards the ground.
Posted in Fauna |
Tags: Australian moths, Daintree insects, Daintree rainforest fauna |
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