I’m trying to pay more consistent attention to all biodiversity this year, and have been photographing a wide range of taxa and subsequently poring over books, and relying on the expert help of kindly folks on iNaturalist, my favourite citizen science project of all time. Here are some of the recently identified highlights.
This Water Prince Hydrobasileus brevistylus was moving fast and didn’t seem to want to land. I could only manage flight shots, but the well-spotted abdomen is distinctive enough to clinch the ID. Wing ventation isn’t clearly discernible from this pic. Record on iNaturalist here.Nice female Red Arrow Rhodothemis lieftincki. Record on iNaturalist here.Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa – has teeth near the tip of the (narrow) leaves only. Endemic to the east coast of Australia, and found in a variety of habitats from coastal heath to sclerophyll woodlands. Record on iNaturalist here. Delta Arrowhead Sagittaria platyphylla, native to North and Central America; a cute but noxious weed of marshy places in Australia. Also known as Also known as Delta Duck-Potato, which I think is a much better name! Record on iNaturalist here.The lovely Lilac Tasselflower Emilia sonchifolia, native to Asia and Australasia, commonly naturalised in Australia. Record on iNaturalist here.Pseudopenthes fenestrata, a bee fly. I didn’t think this would be identifiable to species, but apparently it is distinctive enough. Seems to be an Australian endemic, but I can’t find out much about its ecology. Record on iNaturalist here.Golden Bladderwort Utricularia aurea, its native range spans from India to Australia. Record on iNaturalist here.Yellow Rush-Lily Tricoryne elatior, widespread around Australia occurring in sclerophyll forest, heath and woodland. Record on iNaturalist here.
