Bronwen Scott
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Bronwen Scott
@snailseyeview.bsky.social
2.1K followers 1.5K following 1K posts
Invertebrate zoologist; writer; artist; museum fan; bird watcher; living in the tropics; she/her. Sometimes in Guardian Australia. Otherwise https://snailseyeview.medium.com/
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snailseyeview.bsky.social
There was also this smaller but very handsome critter, which was not interested in the phone or my fingers and just wanted to go about its day.
Gloriously iridescent ground beetle scurrying across the dirt. The beetle is predominantly a shimmering emerald green (imagine the shimmer because this is a still photo) with beautiful burgundy along the edge of the wing cases. A+ beetle. Wish I'd had the proper camera instead of a phone.
November 11, 2025 at 2:52 AM
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I think I must have bigged it up in my memory, but it was quite hefty! Not the best pic but it was quite intrigued by the phone and/or my fingers, so it was all a bit hurried.
Very solid beetle crawling across a ring-bound notebook towards the camera. The main feature are the robust jaws. The eyes are enormous and behind them, the prothorax has two indentations and a dramatic flare on either side. Photo taken in southern Chile by me.
November 11, 2025 at 2:48 AM
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This Fan-tailed Cuckoo invites you to join it outside so it can advise you on what to do with your camera.

(Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland.)
Cuckoo with lovely grey head, back and wings and a pinky colour on its throat. It is looking over its shoulder at the camera. If it had lips instead of a small, black, down-curved bill, those lips would be pursed. It has a dark red-brown eye outline with a bright yellow ring. The bird is possibly lost in thought but that thought is probably stop taking photos of me. The bird is a Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis). Photo taken by me on the Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, Australia.
November 2, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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Pacifc Baza flyby (with cicada) on the Atherton Tablelands.
Pacific Baza soaring with a large cicada in its bill. The view is of the underside with wings spread against an even-coloured grey-blue sky. The bird has fairly rounded wings with striped tips. The birds underside is also striped. The eyes and feet are yellow. Not that you can see it in the photo, but the bird also has a snazzy crest.
October 26, 2025 at 3:40 AM
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Look at the birds that have been pushed out contention for the Australian Bird of the Year! Every one is magnificent. Every one was worth voting for. (Also I think the sunbird has already been split and ours is Sahul Sunbird.)

Anyway, vote for the others here: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
A list of the birds that didn't make the cut in the previous two rounds of voting for the Guardian's Australian Bird of the Year 2025. There are 10 species, all illustrated with a small and now forlorn image. The species names and pics are surrounded by a chestnut brown box, which is almost but not quite like a funeral notice. In order, the birds are: Australasian Bittern Australian Fairy Tern Budgerigar (honestly, who doesn't vote for the budgie?) Channel-billed Cuckoo Cockatiel (who are these people who don't vote for Cockatiels?) Emu (still smarting from losing the Emu War, eh?) Olive-backed (should be Sahul) Sunbird Weebill (Australia's smallest bird and full of attitude) Welcome Swallow (somehow now unwelcome) White-winged Chough (mad lads)
October 8, 2025 at 5:50 AM
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Look at the stunning new growth on this Grey Satinash (Syzygium gustavoides, Myrtaceae), a Qld Wet Tropics endemic .

I should have taken the pic when the sun was on it. I'll post a better one tomorrow.
New growth on a potted plant. The older leaves are long ovals of bright green with a prominent midrib. The abundant new growth is glossy maroon. The leaves lighten to copper as they mature. They will eventually all turn green. The background is dark blue corrugated iron.
September 29, 2025 at 5:29 AM
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That thread about weighing birds is a gold mine.
From the comment thread accompanying the photo of a small bird headfirst in a cylinder to keep it still while it's being weighed. Commenter 1: That bird is oddly calm. It's probably plotting its revenge for when it gets out of the cylinder. Commenter 2: It's calm because you're looking at a still photo.
September 29, 2025 at 2:43 AM
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I forgot to mention don't wear the hat with the nectar feeders on it.

Mind you, I also wrote this.
But if you’ve got a large garden, you might like to try a real hide. You can buy a fancy portable one, but you can also make your own. I’ve seen a delivery box for a refrigerator used as a bird hide. You don’t even have to paint the cardboard; birds have no interest in brand names or whether you’re adhering to instructions about “this side up”. All you need to do is cut a door in the back of the box for entry and exit, and a slot in the front for viewing, grab a camping stool for comfort, and you’ve got yourself an effective, if slightly claustrophobic, hide. Just don’t leave it out in the rain. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/26/i-can-see-a-bird-what-is-it-a-beginners-guide-to-backyard-birding
September 7, 2025 at 1:51 AM
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Saving the best for last: Velvet Worms or Onychophora. Unlike other nominees, this is a whole phylum. When a whole phylum is underrated, you know where your vote should go. (9/12)

Pics: © Tiffany Kosch © Reiner Richter CC BY-NC-SA © Kai Squires CC BY-4.0 Bruno Bell Public Domain
Head and front half photo of a very cute velvet worm. The markings are a mix of autumnal oranges and browns. The tiny black beady eyes are visible at the base of a pair of long antennae. Ooperipatus silvanus: Victoria, Australia. © Tiffany Kosch CC BY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/266114322 I don't know how big Giant Velvet Worms actually are, but this one looks pretty solid. It has a white body (well, off-white to pale pink). Giant Velvet Worm (Tasmanipatus barretti): Tasmania, Australia. © Reiner Richter CC BY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/39896639 A dark blue velvet worm strolling down a piece of broken timber. It has its head down, because it's probably embarrassed by the sudden attention. Euperipatoides rowelli: New South Wales, Australia. © Kai Squires CC BY-4.0 https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/59575113 A brown velvet worm covered in tiny papillae, each of a different colour. There is an indentation on the top of the head between the base of the two antennae and I suspect its to do with the generic name of Phallocephale. I'm guessing this is one of the species that has an eversible intromittent organ on its noggin. But I don't know and am unwilling to investigate further. Phallocephale tallagandensis: New South Wales, Australia. By Bruno Bell Public Domain. https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/326747488
August 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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So what is on the list? They’re pretty darned good.

The Giant Cuttlefish (Ascarosepion apama) is everything you’d expect: it’s a cuttlefish and it’s giant (for a cuttlefish)—up to 1m mantle + tentacles. It's also adorable. (8/12)

Pics: © eyrelab © David Spencer Muirhead © Peter CC BY-NC
Spectacular cuttlefish with a judgy expression. It is angled towards the camera, with its tentacles bunched and pointing downwards. The tentacles and back of the mantle are reddish with pale squiggles. The rest of the animal (except for the fin) is blue and yellow. Australian Giant Cuttlefish (Ascarosepion apama): South Australia. © eyrelab CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/293572179 Close up of the head of a Giant Cuttlefish. The animal is pretty much every colour of the rainbow with green and red dominating. Australian Giant Cuttlefish (Ascarosepion apama): South Australia. © David Spencer Muirhead CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/243122264 Giant Cuttlefish in its element swimming over seaweed beds. The animal is reddish and the mantle is angled down over the seaweed. Its tentacles are spread and numerous papillae are extended above its head like a crown. Australian Giant Cuttlefish (Ascarosepion apama): New South Wales, Australia. © Peter CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/6241002
August 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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On the subject of bees, look at this band o’ buzzers. You know when there are Teddy Bears Bees around—they sound like someone’s riding a motorbike through the garden. (7/12)

Pics: © Reiner Richter CC BY-NC-SA © Ged Tranter CC BY-4.0 © Dave Walter CC BY-NC
Such a cuddly bee. This is a big, round, furry, deep honey-coloured bee with amber eyes. It has clamped itself onto a twig with its jaws, as one does. It's a plushie in hymenopteran form. Teddy Bear Bee (Amegilla albiceps): Victoria, Australia. © Reiner Richter CC BY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/61245415 Another sleeping bee, which has clamped onto a grass stem with its jaws. It is iridescent sky blue with black markings at the edge of each segment. Cuckoo bees lay their eggs in the nests of other bees, and their larvae grow up on the hard work of (in this case) Blue-banded Bees. You often see this species searching for B-B B nests. Stunning insect, stunning photo. Neon Cuckoo Bee (Thyreus nitidulus ssp. nitidulus): Queensland, Australia. © Ged Tranter CC BY-4.0 https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/355574222 Metallic blue bee, so shiny that there seems to be a reflection of the photographer on its back! I've seen these bees around near the ground; they are so bright that once you spot them, you can't see anything else. Peacock Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa bombylans): Queensland, Australia. © Dave Walter CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/392120571
August 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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These stunning beetles belong to Buprestidae. Adults love visiting flowers; larvae love boring into wood. Stake out a flowering tea tree or eucalypt for an eyeful of beetles, butterflies, bugs n bees. (6/12)

Pics: © Martin Lagerwey CC BY-NC-SA © Gunter Maywald CC BY-NC © Connor Margetts CC BY-4.0
Beetle with black wing cases marked with pairs of vivid crimson rectangles. The beetle is feeding on a spray of small white flowers. Temognatha mitchellii: Victoria, Australia. © Martin Lagerwey CC BY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/43098720 Elongate beetle that looks as though it's been wrapped in metallic foil. The Predominant colours are iridescent green and yellow, but the wing cases are also marked with iridescent purple edged with a fine red line. All that and it somehow isn't gaudy. Selagis caloptera: Queensland, Australia. © Gunter Maywald CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/455809841 Elongate beetle with wing cases coloured in iridescent dark green, then yellow, then green again, then two blotches of yellow and red, then green again. Absolutely magnificent coloration, A+. Castiarina bella: New South Wales, Australia. © Gunter Maywald CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/456056072 This beetle is quite svelte, if that's a term that can be applied to something with a chitinous exoskeleton. The ground colour is iridescent dark green. There are two orderly rows of yellow dots on each case and the edges are outlined in a glorious purple. Show off. Castiarina parallela: South Australia. © Connor Margetts CC BY-4.0 https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/326179632
August 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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The caterpillar is a predator. It lives in nests of Green Tree Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina). If you've ever disturbed a GTA nest, you'll know it's not a good thing to do. But these caterpillars have a shield. The ants have no defence. (5/12)

© Martin Lagerwey CC BY-NC-SA © Penny Taylor CC BY-NC
A look underneath the blob in the image in the previous post. It's a little white caterpillar and the sealing wax blob is a shield on its back. The shield extends some distance around the animal. Moth Butterfly (Liphyra brassolis): Queensland, Australia. © Martin Lagerwey CC BY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/43104782 What looks to be a view inside a Green Tree Ant nest. GTAs sew leaves together with silk to make their nests and if you accidentally disturb one, you'll know about it. My first encounter with them was in Townsville when I was foolishly pruning a tree without a) gloves and b) checking first. I thought I'd hit a power line. Back to the photo. The ants are swarming. They have little baby ant grubs among them. The caterpillar has clamped down and is impervious to ant attack. It is completely unbothered. Moth Butterfly (Liphyra brassolis): Queensland, Australia. © Penny Taylor CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/479782398
August 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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The Moth Butterfly (Liphyra brassolis, Lycaenidae) is found from northern Australia to India. The adult looks a bit mothy and, with the wings closed, a lot leafy. Pretty ordinary, huh?

The caterpillar is the truly remarkable stage. (4/12)

Pics: © SC CC BY-NC © Martin Lagerwey CC BY-NC-SA
Butterfly with wings closed. It's photographed from the side to show the underside of the wings. They are mottled in brown and look very much like dead leaves. The animal's body is quite rotund, making it look more like a moth than a delicate butterfly. Moth Butterfly (Liphyra brassolis): Kelantan, Malaysia. © SC CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/173028626 Caterpillar resembling an elongate blob of brownish sealing wax with a depressed middle and three transverse grooves. If you didn't already know it was a caterpillar, I reckon you couldn't guess its identity. Moth Butterfly (Liphyra brassolis): Queensland, Australia. © Martin Lagerwey CC BY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/43104778
August 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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This is Bothriembryon tasmanicus. It's from Tasmania, as you might have inferred. Think it looks dull? First of all, how very dare you. (But also, yes.) Second, its closest rellos are in South, Western and...er...central Australia. (2/12)

Pics: © Simon Grove © Emilie & Victoria CC BY-NC
A snail with tall-spired shell crawling over what looks to be granite. I am not a geologist, although I did a couple of years of it as an undergrad, but petrology was not my strong suit. It could be limestone covered in lichen for all I know. Anyway, back to the interesting thing--the snail. The shell is simultaneously ordinary and quite attractive, with its banding/growth lines. The snail itself is white and almost translucent. Bothriembryon tasmanicus: Tasmania, Australia. © Simon Grove CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/31520415 Snail crawling down a narrow tree trunk. It seems to have been raining (it's Tasmania, after all). The shell is tall and irregularly striped in shades of yellow and brown. The animal is very pale with a hint of orange on the upper tentacles. Bothriembryon tasmanicus: Tasmania, Australia. © Emilie & Victoria CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/456464368
August 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
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The 15 – 20 species of anguillid eels look very similar: eel-shaped, slippery, grey as adults, transparent as little 'uns.

Anguillid populations are declining. We must ensure that elvers do not leave the building. (9/9)

Pics: mikoikoi (Public Domain), © pcaiger © Dan Monceaux CC BY-NC
Eel lurking in shallow water around the feet of a Black Swan. Presumably both are waiting for someone to feed them. Or the eel and swan are pals and this is the start of a heart-warming buddy movie. Who's to say? Short-finned Eel (Anguilla australis): Aotearoa New Zealand. By mikoikoi. Public Domain. https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/327587352 Portrait of an adult eel. The skin is smooth and khaki, the eye has a gold iris. The eel has a benign expression. Short-finned Eel (Anguilla australis): Aotearoa New Zealand. © pcaiger CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/525984208 A dolphin being an arsehole to an eel. Although only the dolphin's dorsal fin is visible, there is a sequence on iNaturalist that tells the story. The dolphin has caught an eel and is throwing it through the air, presumably before eating it. Have you seen the images of Orcas playing with seals? This is the scaled down version. The eel is flying through the air, not under its own volition. Short-finned Eel (Anguilla australis): South Australia. © Dan Monceaux CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/27093331
August 6, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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The Turtle Frog looks like an inflatable bouncy turtle. These little guys eat termites and muscle their way into termite mounds. (So less bounc-y than bounc-er.) They spend most of their time buried until it rains. (6/9)

Pics: Andrea Ruggeri © Nick Volpe CC BY-NC © Nick Lambert CC BY-NC-SA
This is quite difficult to describe, but here goes. It is a frog with a small round head with big eyes, and huge forearms. The texture of the skin is the same as that of an octopus, so loose in appearance, mottled and possiblt melted. It has a wry little smile. Turtle Frog (Myobatrachus gouldii): Western Australia. © Andrea Ruggeri CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/513201836 Although the frog is actually very small, it manages to look like the Infrogable Hulk. This one has a resolute look on its face and is basically loose skin around a solid body. Turtle Frog (Myobatrachus gouldii): Western Australia. © Nick Volpe CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/412115252 Tiny Turtle Frog looking straight at the camera. It has a small head with huge dark eyes and massive forearms. This frog has not skipped upper body day. Turtle Frog (Myobatrachus gouldii): Western Australia. © Nick Lambert CC BY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/226604718
August 6, 2025 at 3:29 AM
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But only one skink does make it onto the (highly idiosyncratic) list: the Great Desert Skink.

Is it called great because it’s big? From the Great (Sandy) Desert? Probably, but also because it’s a great skink.

It lives in family groups. (4/9)

Pics: © brother-nature CC BY-NC
Skink outside a burrow in the desert. The lizard is pretty much cylindrical with a snail that tapers rapidly, as if it's made of Plasticine. (Aside: I always spell it as Plasticene, as if it's a geological period.) The animal is chequered in orange and cream with a bright yellow tummy. Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei): Northern Territory, Australia. © brother-nature CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/475738885 Portrait -- head an half the body -- of a skink, showing how little differentiation there is between head, neck and shoulders. The lizard is looking askance at the camera. You can see the ear hole as a vertical slit fringed with scales. Not relevant, but interesting. Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei): Northern Territory, Australia. © brother-nature CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/475738873
August 6, 2025 at 3:29 AM
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Now back to the species on the list.

Australia has an excellent selection of skinks. How excellent? Well, Shinglebacks, Blue-tongues (and not just one species), Land Mullets, spiky Egernias…I won’t go on. (3/9)

Pics: © dhfischer CC BY-4.0 © Ralph Foster © andrewpavlov © Astrid R Keen CC BY-NC
This is a fantastic lizard! It's a big, solid skink with a strong head and a short tail. It is covered with large scales, giving it the overall impression of a very long pine cone. Its head is raised and its mouth open, with a dark blue tongue protruded. The lesson to be learned here is don't stick your hand near its mouth. Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa): South Australia. © dhfischer CC BY-4.0 https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/87498141 Photo of the head and front half of the body of a very chonky skink. The animal is banded in orange and cream with a black wedge running back from the eye and a wide black stripe on the leg. The head is massive and the beady eye has a brown iris and a round pupil. It is looking at the camera with disapproval and possibly barely suppressed rage. Centralian Bluetongue (Tiliqua multifasciata): Queensland, Australia. © Ralph Foster CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/30025279 This silvery grey solid skink is not angry, just disappointed. A Land Mullet is basically a scaled steel cylinder tapering to a point at snout and tail. Land Mullet (Bellatorias major): New South Wales, Australia. © andrewpavlov CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/350623638 The other skinks featured might try to give you a big bite if threat gestures fail, But the Gidgee Skink will give you pause for thought from both ends. The lizard in this picture is resting on a rock under an overhand. Like the others, it's quite a squat species. It is sandy coloured with fetching diagonal patterns. But along its back, it bears spiky scales with the spikes getting larger on its tail. Don't grab it from either end. Gidgee Skink (Egernia stokesii): South Australia. © Astrid R Keen CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/486285872
August 6, 2025 at 3:29 AM
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And today it’s Anoglypta launcestonensis (Caryodidae). A sculptured spire, a fancy bottom (of the shell) and it’s orange. Found in NE Tasmania. What more could you ask for? Underrated? Yes. On the list? No. Travesty! (2/9)

Pics: © Nick Fitzgerald © glyall CC BY-NC © Reiner Richter CC NY-NC-SA
Low-spired shell among leaf litter on the forest floor. On first glance, it might appear ordinary. But take a closer peek at the sculpture on the shell. It looks like very fine braids wound together. Sometimes you have to get in close to see the wonder in things. Anoglypta launcestonesis: Tasmania, Australia. © Nick Fitzgerald CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/344775909 View of the underside of a snail shell. The surface is smooth, in contrast to the beaded, braided upperside. The colour is dark brown to black with a bold yellow band. Anoglypta launcestonesis: Tasmania, Australia. © glyall CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/457194881 Shell crawling across dead fern fronds on the forest floor. The whole image is basically shades of orange and brown, with brown and orange bands on the shell. the animal is orange with grey tentacles. They should be brown to keep the colour palette going, but I'll allow it. Anoglypta launcestonesis: Tasmania, Australia. © Reiner Richter CC NY-NC-SA https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/39892191
August 6, 2025 at 3:29 AM
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Found 'em! The first one is with the phone when I picked it up off the floor. The other two, which are slightly more detailed are with a bit of forest floor in the background. (I lived in a rainforest.)
Terrible photo of an Onychophora I found on my office floor. No idea why it decided to wander in. I just looked down for some reason and there it was. It is a long, thin animal with paired tentacles at the front end (which is an obvious place to have them). It could be mistaken for a millipede were it not for the soft skin, lack of apparent segmentation and its stubby little legs. Location: Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, Australia. Same onychophoran as in previous pic, but posed with some nice rainforest floor stuff --- moss and leaf litter -- so it could feel more at home. You can see some detail in this photo. The animal is curled around with its out of focus back half to the front and its in focus head at the back. It has two longish tentacles and lots of legs. Its skin has a velvety texture (hence the common name of velvet worm) and is a steel grey with lots of orange spots. Location: Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, Australia. Close up of part of the animal showing its blue legs with tiny claws, and the pattern on its skin. The skin is covered in tiny tubercles, some steel grey, some orange. Location: Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, Australia.
August 5, 2025 at 12:31 PM
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Two more predators:

na na na na/na na na na/Ghost Bat!

And the Rakali, the River God of Robbie Arnott's 'Flames'. I'm still outraged at the treatment of the rat. Feel free to vote for it on that basis. (5/6)

Pics: © Isaac Clarey, © Ron Greer CC BY-NC
Large bat hanging from a cave roof. I was going to say 'hanging upside down' but it's a bat. Of course it's upside down. It has a narrow face, large eyes and big ears that look to be partly fused. It is staring at the camera, possibly sizing up the photographer for its next meal. Have a look at the iNaturalist photos for some fantastically dramatic mummified and skeletonised bats. Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas): Northern Territory, Australia. © Isaac Clarey CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/223920998 Large rat with a noble profile perched on a rock in the middle of a lake. The rat is eating something its holding in its two front paws. The hind feet are partly webbed. The animal has small ears, a long muzzle and thick fur, with hints of gold. The Latin name refers to its yellow underside (which is not that yellow, really.) Rakali or Water Rat (Hydromys chrysogaster): Victoria, Australia. © Ron Greer, CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/149614224
August 5, 2025 at 11:14 AM
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I'm not convinced that the glorious Palm Cockatoo or lovely Dugong are underrated. They're also not restricted to Australia. But vote for them if you must. It's your choice.

(They are quite good.) (3/6)

Pics: © jessie_pd CC BY-NC, © Dennis Rabeling CC BY-NC-ND
Head and shoulders photo of a Palm Cockatoo, a big black cockatoo with a bold, vivid red cheek patch. The crest is made up of very long, narrow feathers and is dramatic. This is not an underrated species. I mean, take a look. Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus): Queensland, Australia. © jessie_pd CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/531490395 Dugong swimming slowly across a sandy seagrass bed, accompanied by two yellow fish with narrow black stripes. I feel I should know what species they are but it's in the Red Sea and I'm not a fishologist. Too many bones. (Young Golden Trevally, I've been told.) Dugong (Dugong dugon) (I don't name these species): Red Sea, Egypt. © Dennis Rabeling CC BY-NC-ND https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/118403478
August 5, 2025 at 11:14 AM
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Before we get onto the species you actually can vote for, this is Rhachistia histrio. Never gets a look in because hardly anyone knows about it. Family Cerastidae has an interesting distribution but that's for another day.

We're focusing on the list. (2/6)

Pic: © rosrunciman CC BY-NC
Conical land snail on a leaf that's curled around the edges. The snail is withdrawn into the shell. But what a shell! It's small but manages to pack some patterns into the minuscule space. The background colour is yellow changing to cream on the spire and glossy black on the tip. Two black bands wind their way around the body whorl and there's a coffee-coloured band at the suture. The shell is also decorated by a row of black dots. It's all going on. Rhachistia histrio (Cerastidae): Qld, Australia. © rosrunciman CC BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/532008111
August 5, 2025 at 11:14 AM
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a'ternoon from these long shadow lurkers
Very sunny afternoon with blue sky and a few clouds on what little can be seen of the horizon. Trees in the background and a rough old grassy paddock in the foreground. There are five sheep, including two fat black lambs, two adults with black faces and one all-white adult. Behind them, in a different paddock are cattle--two curious, one indifferent. All the animals are in the long afternoon shadows.
July 15, 2025 at 6:19 AM