Halfway through summer and the the worrying lack of invertebrate life continues, where once a walk around the garden trees provided a wealth of subjects for the camera, now it is is often put away without a new image on the card. Species that used to be numerous, eg. dragon and damselflies, jumping spiders, wasps, butterflies, native bees, etc. etc. are all largely missing for reasons unknown, spraying with insecticides in this sem-rural area at least can be ruled out, the decline must be more deep seated. A few isolated individuals have been spotted and photographed to keep the ball rolling.

Genus Holoplatys, displaying very effective camouflage.

Moth larva, species unknown.

A longicorn beetle, Coptocercus biguttatus.

Mating flower wasps, Subfamily Thinninae, winged male, wingless female.

A female probably of the same variety spotted walking across the concrete.

And another wasp, genus Callibracon.

Photos have still been hard to come by around the place, but here are a few to finish the year. Just on a month ago a tiny St. Andrews Cross spider was spotted in its web at the end of the house, and a macro shot was taken.

A check today showed it had increased in size many times and was now settled higher up on the wall behind a beautiful cross, the best we’ve seen.

A spider hunting wasp, genus Turneromyia was snapped with the phone at the wood heap.

And while sitting outside, a tickle on the arm was revealed on investigation to be another spider hunter, genus Fabriogenia, with prey, a small Clubiona spider. It was eventually persuaded to move to the table where it was snapped.

Jumping spiders are still scarce, but a Clynotis severus was a nice record.

The district has been experiencing very wet conditions, and in response Pacific Herons have been on the wetlands in large numbers. Two found the wet paddock to be a fruitful spot to forage and one was snapped at 200 metres range.

And to conclude, a frontal shot of a most striking male Bronzewing visitor.