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Myrmecomorphy Ant Mimicry

2011-11-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

In Batesian mimicry in insects, an edible insect looks similar to an aposematic, inedible insect. The inedible insect is called the model, and the lookalike species is called the mimic. Hungry predators that have tried to eat the unpalatable model species learn to associate its colors and markings with an unpleasant dining experience. The predator will generally avoid wasting time and energy catching such a noxious meal again. Because the mimic resembles the model, it benefits from the predator's bad experience.

Ant mimicry is mimicry of ants by other organisms. Ants are abundant all over the world, and insect predators that rely on vision to identify their prey such as birds and wasps normally avoid them, either because they are unpalatable, or aggressive. Therefore, some insects mimic ants to escape predation (protective mimicry).

Green Ants Oecophylla smaragdina are very numerous in the top end of the Northern Territory. Green Ants prey on small insects and supplement their diet with carbohydrate-rich honeydew excreted by small insects (Hemiptera). These ants are highly territorial and workers aggressively defend their territories against intruders. Because of their aggressive behaviour, Green Ants are sometime used by indigenous farmers, particularly in southeast Asia, as natural biocontrol agents against agricultural pests.

Therefore it would be advantageous for an insect to mimic a Green Ant for defence against preditors who avoid Green Ants, as well as, as a defence against Green Ants themselves.

In this case, the pod-sucking bug Riptortis serripes (while an instar and lacking wings to escape) mimics the Green Ant Oecophylla smaragdina.

Green Ant Oecophylla smaragdina With Elateroid Beetle Porrostoma sp

Green Ants Oecophylla smaragdina With Leaf Beetle Phyllocharis sp.

Green Ants Oecophylla smaragdina With Tortoise Beetle HISPINAE Aspidimorpha deusta

Pod-Sucking Bug ALYDIDAE Riptortis serripes 3rd Instar Nymph (Green Ant Oecophylla smaragdina mimic)

Pod-Sucking Bug ALYDIDAE Riptortis serripes Adult

SANDSTONE & VINE FOREST JULY 2011 Part I

2011-07-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

Since the changes brought about by the cooling of the Indian Ocean and the warming of the Pacific Ocean the weather has returned to a more familiar dry season “cool days and colder nights”. Because of the fast cold snap a month ago, most vegetation has dried out quickly and most birds have dispersed due of the tremendous amount of surface water still available from the two year La Nina rains. Basically it seems very quite compared to the recent high humidity and high monthly rainfall we have experienced each and every month.

For the first time in two years the ground seems brown instead of green yet most water ways are still flowing. I guess the birds need to spread out along the permanent water ways to earn a living as insects become harder to locate or take advantage of the grain still on the blades but mostly fallen to ground. The life cycles seem more normal at places where there is always spring fed water, but even there a lack of grasshoppers is very evident.

Acacia sp. Resin Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Anthela nicothoe Feeding On Acacia humifusa Sandstone Country

Bee Fly Ligyra septentrions Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Blowfly Stomorhina sp. Feeding on Carallia brachiata CloseUp Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Blowfly Stomorhina sp. Feeding on Carallia brachiata Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Blue Skimmer Orthetrum caledonicum Female Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Bluebottle - Chrysomya rufifacies Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Boerhavia sp.Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Boralba Creek Cascade Falls Basin Sandstone Country

Boralba Creek Cascade Falls Sandstone Country

Brown Leafhopper - Alotartessus iambe nymph Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Brown Leafhopper - Alotartessus iambe nymph Jumping Spider Mimicry Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Buchnera linearis R.Br. Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Calytrix megaphylla Sandstone Country

Chasmina candida Adult Moth Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Chasmina candida Cocoon Between Leaves Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Chasmina candida Larvae Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Colobathristid Bug Phaenacantha australiae Feeding On Pandanus spiralis CloseUp Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Colobathristid Bug Phaenacantha australiae Feeding On Pandanus spiralis Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Cyanthillium cinereum Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Dicliptera arnhemica Sandstone Country

Drywood Termite Possible TERMITIDAE sp. Upper Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Eucalyptus blesseri Resin Motor Car Creek Open Woodland Sandstone Country

SANDSTONE & VINE FOREST JULY 2011 Part II

2011-07-10T01:49:00.001-07:00

Last year at this time I saw large flocks of Triller sp. Working in pairs to catch grasshoppers. One bird to scare them the other to catch them in the air. This year a few Friarbird sp. getting drunk on the Eucalyptus miniata (Darwin Woolybut) flower nectar which also did not flower for very long last year. The only other regular customer is the ever present Pardalote sp. which goes about its business never singing but with its constant repeating of a single note. With the cool weather and lack of reason to stop and investigate I have managed to walk further on day walks. Sometimes I have managed 25 Km in a day and a half even with regular waypoint checks or climbing a hill to get a better idea of the direction to the next ridge saddle.

Eurymelinae sp. Possible Ipoini Tribe Feeding on Acacia leptocarpa Attended by Oecophylla smaragdina Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Evening Brown Melanitis leda Dry Season Form Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Feral buffalo Bubalis bubalis Arnhem Highway Goymarr

Glasswing Acrea andromacha Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Glochidion xerocarpum Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Glossy Shield Bug - Cermatulus nasalis Nymph Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Gomphrena canescens Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Goodenia armstrongiana Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Grass Spearpoints Sandstone Country

Hibiscus sp Morning Bud Sandstone Country

Hibiscus sp Sandstone Country

Holly-leafed Pea-Flower Bossiaea bossiaeoides Sandstone Country

Holly-leafed Pea-Flower Bossiaea bossiaeoides Seed Pod Sandstone Country

Jumping Spider Cytaea sp Female Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Kambolgie Creek Dry CreekBed Sandstone country

Kambolgie Creek Flowing Sandstone Country

Kapok Bush Cochlospermum fraseri Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Lerp Construction of White Fibrous Resin By Lerp Insect - Glycaspis brimblecombei Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

Lindernia plantaginea Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Lion's Tail Leonotis nepetifolia Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Lobelia quadrangularis R.Br Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

Lower Motor Car Falls Outlier Sandstone Country

LYMANTRIIDAE sp Feeding On Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Mayfly EPHEMEROPTERA sp. Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country

Morning Mist Burdulba Creek Sandstone Country

Motor Car Creek Lower Falls & Kolk Created Plucked-bedrock Pits Sandstone Country

Motor Car Creek Upper Falls Basin Sandstone Country

Neat Menetia Menetia concinna Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country

SANDSTONE & VINE FOREST JULY 2011 Part III

2011-07-10T01:33:00.001-07:00

This season has allowed me to challenge myself in Sandstone Country which is both rugged and tricky and I have taken my lumps, but I also can appreciate creating my own path and the rewards of arriving at places where you come to understand that just maybe you are part of the local cycle. I have learned a few new adages. “If it looks flat it probably is not”; “It might look impassable from a distance but when you get there it’s a lot easier than it looked” & “The most dangerous part of the hill is the last two steps when you think you are down” I have also come to appreciate a pair of good shoes and how it is important for them to never to be good for only 1/2 of a walk.

Finally, I have even learned some new terminology such as “A kolk (also known as colc) is an underwater vortex that is created when rapidly rushing water passes an underwater obstacle in boundary areas of high shear. High velocity gradients produce a violently rotating column of water, similar to a tornado.[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolk].

When you experience the word is usually leads to a shared understanding of how the world works.

Nursery Web Spider Family Pisauridae Hygropoda lineata Sandstone Country

Orange Ringlet Hypocysta adiante Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests
Osbeckia australiana Lower Motor Car Creek Falls Sandstone Country
Oxyopes elegans Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests
Pachynema junceum Sandstone Country
Paper Wasp Ropalidia gregaria CloseUp Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country
Paper Wasp Ropalidia gregaria Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country
Paper Wasp Ropalidia gregaria Nesting Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country
Planthopper Cicadellidae sp. Feeding On Acacia sp. Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests
Planthopper Family Tropiduchudae Possible Rhinodictya quaesitrix Kirkaldy CloseUp Feeding On Juvinile Fern-leaved Grevillea Grevillea pteridifolia Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Planthopper Family Tropiduchudae Possible Rhinodictya quaesitrix Kirkaldy CloseUp Feeding On Juvinile Fern-leaved Grevillea Grevillea pteridifolia Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Planthopper Fulgoroidea sp. Feeding On Pandanus spiralis Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Pod-Sucking Bug - Riptortus serripes Sandstone Country
Polyrhachis bicolor Feeding on Carallia brachiata Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests
Possible Cave Reedling Indolestes obiri CloseUp Sandstone Country
Possible Cave Reedling Indolestes obiri Sandstone Country
Possible LASIOCAMPIDAE sp Larvae Feeding On Acacia multisiliqua Sandstone Country
Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus rubritorquis Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country
Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta Male Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Ricania sp. Sandstone Country
Rosella Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Scarlet Morning Glory Ipomoea hederifolia Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Spermacoce calliantha Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country
Sulpher-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Thread-waisted Caterpillar Hunter - Parapsammophila eremophila Sandstone Country
Thread-waisted Caterpillar Hunter - Parapsammophila eremophila Transporting a NOTODONTIDAE sp.Larva Front View Sandstone Country
Thread-waisted Caterpillar Hunter - Parapsammophila eremophila Transporting a NOTODONTIDAE sp.Larva Sandstone Country
Tiger Crane Fly - Nephrotoma australasiae Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country
Two-spined Rainbow Skink Carlia amax Motor Car Falls Sandstone Country
Weevil CURCULIONOIDEA Possible APIONIDAE sp. Kambolgie Creek Sandstone Country
Wrightia pubescens Point Stuart Evergreen Vine-forests

SANDSTONE COUNTRY IV / June 2011 Part I

2011-06-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

Robin Falls is a small reserve along Dorat Road and about 18 km from the township of Adelaide River. The falls cascade off sandstone escarpment which is bounded by floodplain to the east and the Adelaide River to the west. The area is predominantly private land. The falls are spring fed and water is present throughout the dry season and attracts macropods like the Agile Wallaby, Antilopine Wallaroo at the base and on the cliff-faces, the Short-eared Rock-wallaby, and the Narbalek (elegant rock-weasle).

Motor Car Falls follows an historic vehicle track where, in 1946, the first motorcar entered the region. An impassable creek marked the end of the journey. Ever since, that creek has been called Motorcar.

Aristida holathera

Blumea sp. Motor Car Falls

Brown Leafhopper - Alotartessus iambe nymph

Jumping Spider Mimicry Motor Car Falls

Brown Leafhopper - Alotartessus iambe nymphs Motor Car Falls

Buchnera linearis

Burmannia juncea Motor Car Falls

Bush Carrot Cartonema sp.

Calytrix achaeta Motor Car Falls

Calytrix megaphylla

Charcoal-winged Percher Diplacodes nebulosa

Common Tropical Sharptail Stenocatantops angustifrons Motor Car Falls

Crotalaria goreensis Motor Car Falls

Darwin woollybutt Eucalyptus miniata Motor Car Falls

Diospyros calycantha Fruit Robyn Falls

Eriachne schultziana

Eucalyptus setosa Emergent Leaves Motor Car Falls

Eurybrachyid Planthopper - Eurybrachyidae sp. Feeding On Pachynema junceum

Ficus hispida Baroalba Springs

Four o clock Moth Dysphania numana

Golden Beard Grass Golden Beard Grass

Goodenia armstrongiana Robyn Falls

Grevillea decurrens Resin Robyn Falls

Haemodorum coccineum

Huntsman Heteropodidae sp.

Jumping Spider Cytaea severa Motor Car Falls

Kapok Bush Cochlospermum fraseri

Ludwigia sp. Motor Car Falls

Macrobathra desmotoma Robyn Falls

SANDSTONE COUNTRY IV / June 2011 / Part II

2011-06-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

Baroalba Creek is the main drainage for Mount Brockman, a large, irregularly shaped massif sitting on the plains a few kilometres away from the edge of the Arnhem escarpment. Its maximum dimensions are about 11 kilometres east to west and 15 kilometres north to south. Its maximum height is about 300 metres above sea level, about 240 metres above the surrounding plain. While the edges of the massif are extremely rugged and steep, much of the centre consists of a large basin drained by Baroalba Creek. The rugged nature of the approaches prevented buffalo from reaching the basin, making this one of the few undisturbed areas in Kakadu. The area is full of rock shelters that were used by Aboriginal people over the millennia. It contains what may well be the greatest concentration of Aboriginal rock art in Australia, dating from the most ancient to the most recent.

Masked Cave-Frog Litoria personata At Home

Masked Cave-Frog Litoria personata CloseUp

Morning Mist South Alligator Flood Plain SunUp

Native Grass Themeda triandra Motor Car Falls

Neon Cuckoo Bee - Thyreus nitidulus

Nomia Bee HALICTIDAE sp.

Orange Lacewing Cethosia penthesilea Motor Car Falls

Orb or Wheel Weaving Spider Argiope sp. Motor Car Falls

Osbeckia australiana

Painted Grasshawk Neurothemis stigmatizans stigmatizans

Petalostigma quadriloculare F.Muell. var. genuina

Planthopper Fulgoroidea sp. Motor Car Falls

Polygala longiflora Motor Car Falls

Praying Mantid Hierodula sp. Nymph Close Up Robyn Falls

Praying Mantid Hierodula sp. Nymph Robyn Falls

Pterocaulon serrulatum Motor Car Falls

Purple Oak-blue Arhopala centaurus Robyn Falls Sandstone Country

Robyn Falls Sandstone Country

Sandstone Escarpment Baroalba Springs Deep Undergrowth

Sandstone Escarpment Baroalba Springs Valley

Small Blue Leaf Beetle - Nisotra breweri With

Possible Astigmatid Mite Feeding On The Beetle

Spermacoce calliantha Sandstone Country

Stretch spider Tetragnathidae sp.

Top End Archtail Nannophlebia mudginberri

Trap-jaw Ant Odontomachus turneri

Tree Orchid Dendrobium dicuphum Motor Car Falls

Triumfetta sp. Motor Car Falls

Tropical Gumleaf Grasshopper Goniaea furcifera Female Robyn Falls

Turkey Bush Caltrix exstipulata

Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax Roadside Kill

South of Adelaide River Township Stuart Highway

Dhaarratharramirri Season in Darwin

2011-06-03T01:27:00.001-07:00

Late April, May, June, July, August South-east or dry season. Wind in east and south-east People nomadic; big wet-season camps breaking up. Systematic burning of all extensive grassed areas, communal drives for kangaroo, bandicoots, goanna. Fishing still important, with nets, grass barriers, in shallow waters on plains & salt pans.

The Yolngu have at least 11 plants that act as calendar plants. These are plants that act as conspicuous indicators of certain seasonal occurances that are important but difficult to observe. Generally calendar plants have distinctive flowers that indicate an animal food resource is at it's best and should be hunted or collected. Due to the variability of seasonal weather patterns, it is important to have recognised indicators of food resources available, so that the hunting period is optimal.*

Dharranggulk (Yolngu name) – Red Flowering Kurrajong – Brachychiton paradoxus: A small deciduous tree with large leaves and red flowers that grows in open forests and woodlands. The flowering of this species signals that baby sharks are ready to be hunted (they are considered a delicacy and are much sought after), that scrub fowls have laid their eggs and the eggs may be dug out of nests, and that mud crabs contain eggs, which are the same colour as the Dharrangnulk flower.

[*reference: 'Rirratjingu Ethnobotony: Aboriginal Plant Use From Yirrkala, Arnhem Land, Australia']

Right Now the Dharranggulk are in full bloom.

Aiteta iridias Adult Moth

Aiteta iridias Cocoon

Aiteta iridias Larvae

Ant Lion MYRMELEONTIDAE sp.

Asota orbona Moth

Bothriochloa bladhii subsp. bladhii

Brown Leafhopper - Alotartessus iambe Tended By Ant Papyrius sp.

Calomyrmex impavidus Ant Attending Aphid Aphis nerii.Feeding on Red Natal Grass Melinis repens

Calomyrmex impavidus Ant

Chalcidoid Wasp CHALCIDOIDEA sp. Unidentified Larval Leaf Galls

Grass Chloris barbata

Crotalaria goreensis Seed Pod

Grass Themeda triandra

Gum-treehopper Eurymelinae sp. Nymphs

Gum-treehopper Eurymelinae sp.

Hawk Moth Possibly Macroglossum corythus or M.hirundo Cocoon Thanks To Jim Tuttle For Identification Help

Hawk Moth Possibly Macroglossum corythus or M.hirundo Larvae Thanks To Jim Tuttle For Identification Help

HYMENOPTERA sp. Feeding On Pennisetum polystachion

Jewel Spinned Spider Austracantha sp.Spinneret

Ladybird Beetle - COCCINELLIDAE sp.

Monkey Grasshopper EUMASTACIDAE sp.

Paddy Bug - Leptocorisa acuta

Red Natal Grass Melinis repens

Thanatodicta sp.

Traminda aventiaria Larvae

Traminda aventiaria Adult Moth Green Variation

Traminda aventiaria Cocoon. Suspended between Container Roof and Bottom Leaf

Traminda aventiaria Adult Moth Brown Variation

Remnant Vine Forest I May 2011

2011-06-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

Monsoon vine-forests in the Top End of the N.T. occur in a variety of habitats, from situations favoured by year-round moisture availability, to sites where moisture is seasonally scarce. They also occur on a broad range of rock and soil types. As might be expected monsoon vine-forest vegetation is thus structurally very variable, ranging from tall evergreen forests over 30m in height, to deciduous thickets often only 2-3m in height on particularly harsh dry sites.

Evergreen vine-forests are associated with rare perennial spring and seepage habitats, as well as along the margins of some perennial streams. Good examples in the Darwin region include Holmes Jungle, Berry Springs, Howard Springs and Black Jungle. In these situations soils are typically waterlogged with relatively deep organic loams overlaying grey clays. Under optimal conditions canopy height is seldom greater than 25m, the upper canopy dominated by evergreen trees.

Coastal vine-forests

Coastal vine-forests occur on a variety of mainly seasonally dry substrates, especially sandy or shelly beach ridges (e.g. parts of Casuarina Beach, Darwin), and lateritic landforms (e.g. East Point Reserve, Darwin). As with other types of vine-forest vegetation tolerant of seasonal dryness, coastal vine-forests show no particular requirement for deep soils as on substrates which offer no impediment to deep root development. The canopy of coastal vine-forests is typically less than 10m in height, although individual emergent trees, especially deciduous trees may attain heights of 16m or more.

Acacia hemignosta

Aloa marginata Thanks to Don Herbison-Evans For Identification Help

Australian Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca

Black-headed Skimmer Crocothemis nigrifrons

Blue-banded Eggfly Hypolimnas alimena ssp. lamina Form B

Chocolate Argus Junonia hedonia

Common Crow Euploea core Feeding On Buchnera sp.

Common Glider Tramea loewii

Jumping Spider Hypoblemum albovittatum

Kurrajong Brachychiton paradoxum

Leaf Beetle Phyllocharis sp. And Eggs

Lindernia lobelioides

Long-jawed Spider Tetragnatha sp. Newly Hatched Spiderlings

Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles

Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis

Swamp Tiger Danus affinis

Terminalia microcarpa

Tortoise Beetle Cassidinae sp.

Utricularia leptoplectra

Wandering Pennant Macrodiplax cora Female

Sandstone Country III / May 2011 Part One

2011-05-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

The Arnhem Plateau is an extensive and highly dissected quartz sandstone massif ranging from approximately 200 to 400 meters above sea level. A dramatic sandstone escarpment bounds the western and northern edges, whilst the eastern expanses of the Plateau gradually slope away from the escarpment.

"‘This bioregion has outstanding values for biodiversity conservation. It has very high levels of endemism, including at least 40 plant species (and probably far more), three birds (including the white-throated grass-wren Amytornis woodwardi), 12 reptiles (such as the extremely large python Morelia oenpelliensis), 5 mammals (such as the black wallaroo Macropus bernardus), 3 fish, 1 frog and very many invertebrates. Many species are relictual (such as the plants Drummondita, Hildergardia and Podocarpus) and many species are known only from one or few populations within a range of 1-10 km2. Some groups have radiated extensively (e.g. Stylidium, Micraira), resulting in this bioregion being a major centre of biodiversity. Twenty-eight species are listed as threatened at the Territory or national level. The rugged nature of this bioregion affords its biota some protection from threatening processes which have affected biodiversity elsewhere. The bioregion includes some highly distinctive environments, most notably sandstone rainforests dominated by the tall endemic Allosyncarpia ternata, and floristically rich sandstone heathlands. (Australian Natural Resource Atlas V2, 2005).

Acacia alleniana

Acomis kakadu

Antmimicking Spider Myrmarachne sp. or Bocus sp

Australian Paper Wasp - Polistes humilis

Blue Argus Junonia orithya albicincta Wet Season Form

Blumea sp

Brachyachne convergens

Buchnerasp sp.

Bush Fly - Muscidae sp. And Unidentified Lymantriidae Moth Larva

Calytrix megaphylla

Case Moth Psychidae sp Hanging on Haemodorum coccineum

Common Assassin Bug - Pristhesancus plagipennis 5th Instar

Confusing Spur-throated Locust Austracris proxima

Cricket GRYLLIDAE sp. Nymph

Cup or Slug Moth LIMACODIDAE sp

Daviesia reclinata

Flax Liliy Dianella sp.

Flesh Flie Sarcophaga sp

Four o clock Moth Dysphania numana Stitiching Together The Leaves of Freshwater Mangrove Carallia brachiata Before Cocooning Up

Glossy Shield Bug - Cermatulus nasalis

Green Leaf-runner Cyrtoxiphoides sp.Nymph

Green Tree Ant Oecophylla smaragdina Visitng Spermacoce calliantha

Grevillea heliosperma

Hibbertia cistifolia

Holly-leafed Pea-flower Bossiaea bossiaeoides

Jumping Spiders Salticidae sp.

Lindernia clausa

Long legged Assassin Bug Harpactorinae sp.

Sandstone Country III / May 2011 Part Two

2011-05-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

Patersonia macrantha Arms Length

Patersonia macrantha Close Up

Looper Moth Mocis Alterna Adult

Looper Moth Mocis Alterna Larvae

Monkey Grasshopper EUMASTACIDAE sp

Native Coackroach POLYZOSTERINAE sp.

Northern Long-necked Turtle Chelodina rugosa

Osbeckia australiana

Pityrodia lanuginosa Arms Length

Pityrodia lanuginosa Close Up

Port Essington Ctenotus Unspotted Form Ctenotus essingtonii

Possible Bee Fly Bombyliidae sp.

Possible Bee Fly BOMBYLIIDAE sp.

Processionary Caterpillar NOTODONTIDAE sp.

Purple Jungle Plant Hypoestes floribunda

Pygmy Percher Nannodiplax rubra

Sandstone Plateaux Spinifex Triodia microstachya and Pityrodia jamesii

Sowerbaea alliacea

Striga curviflora Close Up

Stylidium multiscapum

Swamp Foxclove Centranthera cochinchinensis

Tiger Moth Argina astrea Adult Moth

Tiger Moth Argina astrea Early Instar Larva

Turkey

bush Calytrix existipulata

Yellow Bladderwort Utricularia fulva

The Flood Revisited I

2011-05-08T00:42:00.001-07:00

This years flooding of northern Australia and the Arnhem Land sandstone plateau is nothing new.

In the mid-Proterozoic, about 1 billion years ago, huge deposits of fluviatile sediments covered much of the region and now form the relatively flat-bedded sandstone plateaus which, with their escarpments, dominate the landscapes of Kakadu, the Kimberly and Cape York. These sandstones have all the expected features of shallow water deposition: cross-bedding, ripple marks, mud cracks and rain prints. The theory it seems is that these sands were deposited in vast river deltas which over time took many different courses over northern Australia.

Assassin Bug II Reduviidae sp. Close Up Sandstone Country

Assassin Bug II Reduviidae sp. Sandstone Country

Assassin Bug Reduviidae sp. Sandstone Country

Blue Argus Junonia orithya albicincta catepillar Feeding On Buchnera sp. Sandstone Country

Broadmouthed Fly Euprosopria inermis Sandstone Country

Buchnera sp. Sandstone Country

Cleome viscosa Sandstone Country

Clerodendrum floribundum In Flower Sandstone Country

Clerodendrum sp Budding Sandstone Country

Common Assassin Bug - Pristhesancus plagipennis 3rd Instar With Prey Sandstone Country

Common Assassin Bug - Pristhesancus plagipennis 4th Instar Sandstone Country

Common Assassin Bug - Pristhesancus plagipennis 4th Instar With Prey Sandstone Country

Common Assassin Bug - Pristhesancus plagipennis 5th Instar Sandstone Country

Common Crow Euploea core corinna Mating Sandstone Country

Cricket GRYLLIDAE sp. Sandstone Country

Cricket Salmanites taltantris Nymph Sandstone Country

Erebus terminitincta Adult Moth Sandstone Country

The Flood Revisited II

2011-05-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

Erebus terminitincta Adult Moth Sandstone Country

Erebus terminitincta 1st Instar Sandstone Country

Erebus terminitincta Cocoon Sandstone Country

Erebus terminitincta Early Instar Sandstone Country

Erebus terminitincta Late Instar Sandstone Country

Flower Wasp TIPHIIDAE sp. Sandstone Country

Flower Wasp TIPHIIDAE sp. Covered In Pollen Sandstone Country

Fully Grown Stabilimentum only a small zig-zag remains Wheel Weaving Argiope sp Sandstone Country

Grevillea heliosperma Sandstone Country

Hibbertia dilatata Sandstone Country

Jumping Spider Hypoblemum sp. Sandstone Country

Leaf Beetle Chrysomelidae sp Sandstone Country

Leafroller TORTRICIDAE sp. Sandstone Country

Long-jawed or Four-jawed Orb Weavers Male Sandstone Country

Long-jawed Spider - Tetragnatha nitens Sandstone Country

Looper Moth Anisozyga aphrias Larva Feeding On Billy Goat Plum Terminalia ferdinandiana Sandstone Country

Lopper Moth Anisozyga aphrias Cocoon Sandstone Country

Lopper Moth Anisozyga aphrias Moth Sandstone Country

LYMANTRIIDAE sp Sandstone Country

Mecytha fasciata larva Sandstone Country

Mitrasacme connata Sandstone Country

Native Coachroach Ellipsidion sp., nymph on Gravillea dryandri Sandstone Country

Northern Dwarf Tree Frog Litoria bicolor Sandstone Country

Notodontidae Possible Cerura multipunctata Split Tail Cocoon - Thanks to Dave Nowak & Don Herbison-Evans for Help With Identification Sandstone Country

Notodontidae Possible Cerura multipunctata Split Tail Larva - Thanks to Dave Nowak & Don Herbison-Evans for Help With Identification Sandstone Country

Notodontidae Possible Cerura multipunctata Split Tail Moth - Thanks to Dave Nowak & Don Herbison-Evans for Help With Identification Sandstone Country

The Flood Revisited III

2011-05-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

Nursery Web Spider Family Pisauridae Hygropoda lineata
Close Up Sandstone Country

Nursery Web Spider Family Pisauridae Hygropoda lineata Face Sandstone Country

Nursery Web Spider Family Pisauridae Hygropoda lineata Sandstone Country

Orange Lacewing Cethosi penthesilea Sandstone Country

Plectranthus scutellarioides Sandstone Country

Polycarpaea corymbosa Sandstone Country

Pseudopogonatherum contortus Sandstone Country

Purple Oak-blue Arhopala centaurus Sandstone Country

Rattlepod Crotalaria crassipes Sandstone Country

Red Swampdragon Agrionoptera insignis allogenes Sandstone Country

Scalloped Grass-yellow Eurema alitha Wet-season Form Sandstone Country

TACHINIDAE sp. Sandstone Country

Tiger Moth Argina astrea Adult Moth Sandstone Country

Tiger Moth Argina astrea Cocoon Sandstone Country

Tiger Moth Argina astrea Larva Sandstone Country

Tree Hopper Cicadellidae sp. Nymph Sandstone Country

Tree Hopper Cicadellidae sp. Nymphs Sandstone Country

Varied Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina Sandstone Country

Webworm CRAMBIDAE sp. Sandstone Country

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Sandstone Country

Wet Season Turning To Dry Season

2011-04-28T05:07:00.001-07:00

Wet Season Turning To Dry Season.
The Bugs are starting to rub their little paws together in anticipation.

4-Triangled Noctuid - Trigonodes hyppasia

Acacia oncinocarpa

Acraea andromacha andromacha Mating

Anisozyga metaspila Cocoon Darwin

Anisozyga metaspila Larva

Heterocera sp.. Eggs

Antlion MYRMELEONTIDAE sp.

Australian Woolly Bear Anthela limonea

CATOCALINAE sp. Ericeia subsignata

Clitoria ternata

Commelina ensifolia

Crane Fly TIPULIDAE sp

Cup and Slug Moth LIMACODIDAE sp.

Cup Moth LIMACODIDAE sp. Cocoon

Cup Moth LIMACODIDAE sp.

Cycad Cycas armstrongii New Leaf

Flannel Weed Sida cordifolia

GEOMETROIDEA sp.

Green Tree Ant Oecophylla smaragdina
Working Cooperatively

Hawk Moth Psilogramma exigua Egg

A Day Before Hatching

Hawk Moth Psilogramma exigua Larva 4th Instar

Heterocera sp. Eggs And Larva 6 Hours Old

Heterocera sp. Eggs And Larva Hatching

Horned Treehopper Eufairmairia sp.

Impatiens Hawk Moth Theretra oldenlandiae
4th Instar Side View

Impatiens Hawk Moth Theretra oldenlandiae
4th Instar Top View

Impatiens Hawk Moth Theretra oldenlandiae
3rd Instar
Feeding on
Planchonia careya

Wet Season Turning To Dry Season II

2011-04-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

Leafhopper Auchenorrhyncha sp Nymph
FF

Leafhopper Cicadellidae sp. Nymph

Longicorn Beetle LAMIINAE sp.

Longicorn Beetle Platyomopsis sp

Orange Lacewing Cethosia penthesilea

Planthopper Auchenorrhyncha sp.

Polycarpaea longiflora

Psilogramma penumbra Larva 2nd Instar

Red Swampdragon Agrionoptera onsignis allogenes

Larva Late Instar

Red Swampdragon Agrionoptera onsignis allogenes

Larva Empty Skin

Shield Huntsman Spider SPARASSIDAE sp

Stretch Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Sulpher-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita

Feeding On

Grass Mnesithea Formosa

Traminda aventiaria Larva

Traminda aventiaria Adult Moth

Turkey Bush Calytrix exstipulate

Tussock Moth Acyphas semiochrea

Feeding On

Acacia oncinocarpa

Tussock Moth LYMANTRIIDAE sp

Tussock Moth Orgyia australis

Waltheria indica

Wandering Percher Diplacodes bipunctata

Sandstone Country March 2011

2011-04-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

FF The Arnhem Land plateau is an enormous sandstone tableland, roughly the size of Switzerland. This is country that has been home to Indigenous people for tens of thousands of years and the rock paintings found throughout the plateau are thought to represent the longest continuous record of human culture anywhere in the world.

The plateau of western Arnhem Land is the most significant region in the NT for biodiversity. It contains far more of the NT’s endemic species than anywhere else (including at least 160 plant species found nowhere else; Woinarski et al. 2006), and many plants and animals of outstanding biogeographic and scientific interest. It harbours an unusually high number (at least 32) of threatened species, many of which are being detrimentally affected by the fire regimes currently prevailing in the region. The Arnhem Land plateau also supports a high proportion of the NT’s rainforest estate, including almost all of the distinctive rainforest associations dominated by the endemic tree Allosyncarpia ternata. The rugged nature of this bioregion affords its biota some protection from threatening processes that have affected biodiversity elsewhere.

FF Anomis involuta
Sandstone Country
FF

FF Australian Woolly Bears ANTHELIDAE sp
Sandstone Country FF

FF
Brolga Grus rubicundus
Sandstone Country
FF FF
Centranthera cochinchinensis
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Cicadas Pauropsalta melanopygia
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Cricket GRYLLIDAE sp.
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Four o clock Moth Dysphania numana larvae 2nd Instar
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Glossy Shield Bug - Cermatulus nasalis 3rd instar
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Green Jewel Bug Lampromicra senator
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Grevillea heliosperma
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Jumping Spider Arasia sp.
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Lady Bug Orcus sp. Mating
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Lithomyrtus densifolia
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Noctuoidea sp.
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Notodontidae Possible Cerura multipunctata
Thanks to Don Herbison-Evans
for Help With Identification
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Pale-orange Darter Telicota colon
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Predatory Stink Bug - Asopinae sp.
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Purple Jungle Plant Hypoestes floribunda
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Rock Fig Ficus platypoda
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Solanum clarkiae
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Solanum echinatum
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Sowerbaea alliacea
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
St Andrew's Cross Spider Argiope Keyserlingi
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Tiger Moth Argina astrea
Sandstone Country
FF

Tiger Moth Argina astrea Cocoon
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Tiger Moth Argina astrea Larva
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Unidentified Caterpillar
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Unidentified Catepillar
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Varied Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
White Banded Noctuid Moth - Donuca orbigera
Sandstone Country
FF

FF
Zebra Grasshopper Zebratula flavonigra
Sandstone Country
FF

March Madness I

2011-03-28T04:28:00.000-07:00

The little things that I must have walked past thousands of times. It seems like many moths use the same plants for larvae food. I regularly check certain plants on my local walks and am surprised as soon as one species cocoons-up another species is hatching out. Some locate one or two eggs on the bush while others are more social and hatch out 15 to 20 individuals. Sometimes they eat the entire bush up. I was surprised to find out that some moth females do not fly and rely on the males to locate them using their sense of smell. When I have reared several species of moths or butterflies, I take them out to graze on their larval foods. There is a story about a hungry caterpillar and from what I have witnessed its no wonder they can be pests in the garden. In the end they have given me new ways to look at the teeth marks they leave on plant leaves even though they try to conceal that they are present. Sometimes it is very evident one was caught in the act by a hungry bird.
FF
Amata nigriceps
Darwin
FF

FF
Arctiid Moth Creatonotos gangis
Darwin
FF

FF
Australian Woolly Bear Unidentified ANTHELIDAE sp.
Darwin
FF FF
Australian Woolly Bear Unidentified ANTHELIDAE sp.
Darwin
FF

FF
Australian Woolly Bear Unidentified ANTHELIDAE sp. Eggs
Darwin
FF

FF
Badge Huntsman Neosparassus sp.
Darwin
FF

FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii Adult Moth
Darwin
FF

FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii Egg
Darwin
FF

FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii larvae 1st Instar
Feeding On
Gardenia megasperma
Darwin
FF

FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii larvae 2nd Instar
Feeding On
Gardenia megasperma
Darwin
FF

FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii larvae Last Instar
Feeding On
Gardenia megasperma
The Day Before Cocooning
Darwin
FF

FF
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Visiting
Orb Spider Nephila pilipes
Darwin
FF

FF
Celosia agentia
Darwin
FF

FF
Coachroach Ellipsidion humerale
Darwin
FF

FF
Common Crow Euploea core corinna 2nd Instar larvae
Feeding On
Sandpaper Fig Ficus opposita
Darwin
FF

FF
Common Crow Euploea core corinna
Darwin
FF

FF
Common Crow Euploea core corinna
Mating
Darwin
FF

FF
Cylindrical Leaf Beetle Cryptocephalinae sp.
Darwin
FF

March Madness II

2011-03-28T03:26:00.000-07:00

FF
Dermaleipa microrrhoea Cocoon
Darwin
FF

FF Dermaleipa microrrhoea
Darwin FF

FF Dermaleipa microrrhoea Larva feeding on Billy Goat Plum Terminalia ferdinandiana Darwin FF

FF Emperor Moth Syntherata janetta
Darwin
FF FF
Emperor Moth Syntherata janetta Cocoon
Darwin
FF

FF
Emperor Moth Syntherata janetta Larva 3rd Instar
Feeding On
Billy Goat Plum Planchonia careya
Darwin
FF

FF
Figleaf Beetle - Poneridia australis
Feeding On
Sandpaper Fig Ficus opposita
Darwin
FF

FF
Flannel Weed Sida cordifolia
Darwin
FF

FF
Flower Spider Diaea evanida
Darwin
FF

FF
Flower Spider Diaea sp. On Egg Case
Darwin
FF

FF
Gomphrena flaccida
Darwin
FF

FF
Green Mottled Planthopper - Siphanta hebes
Darwin
FF

FF

Green Tree Frog Litoria caerulea
Darwin
FF

FF
Green Tree Frog Litoria caerulea
Darwin
FF

FF
Hawk Moth Psilogramma exigua 2nd Instar larva
Feeding On Clerodendrum floribundum var. coriaceum
Darwin
FF FF
Iridomyrmex sanguineus
Darwin
FF

FF
Leaf Roller Epiphyas postvittana
Feeding On Gardenia megasperma
Darwin
FF

FF
Leaf Roller Epiphyas postvittana Nest Site
Darwin
FF

FF
Leaf Tortoise Beetle Cassidinae sp.
Darwin
FF

FF
Monkey Grasshopper EUMASTACIDAE sp.
Darwin
FF

FF
Monkey Grasshopper EUMASTACIDAE sp.Possible Morabine sp. Mating
Darwin
FF

March Madness III

2011-03-28T02:59:00.000-07:00

FF Olene mendosa
Feeding On
Gardenia megasperma
Darwin
FFFF

Orange Spider Wasp - Priocnemis bicolor
Darwin FF

FF Orvasca aliena Larva
Feeding On
Gardenia megasperma
Darwin
FF FF Orvasca aliena Moth Cocoon
Darwin F
F FF Orvasca aliena Adult
Darwin
FF FF Orvasca aliena Moth Starting to Cocoon
Darwin
FF FF Painted Pine Moth - Orgyia australis
Darwin
FF FF Pararguda crocota Cocoon
Darwin
FF FF Pararguda crocota
Darwin
FF FF Pararguda crocota
Darwin
FF FF Planthopper Ricania sp. and Nymph
Darwin
FF

FF Planthopper Ricania sp. Nymph
Darwin
FF

FF Possible Tussock Moth LYMANTRIIDAE sp.
Darwin FF

FF Unidentified catepillar
Darwin
FF

FF Velvet Ant Family Mutillidae
Female
Ephutomorpha sp.
Darwin
FF

TROPICAL Cyclone Carlos I

2011-02-26T16:34:00.001-08:00

FF
Weather Channel senior meteorologist Dick Whitaker said Darwin recorded a total of 339.6mm of rain during the 24 hours ending at 9am today.

"This is an all time 24 hour rainfall record for the city," he said.

This rain is on top of the 131mm which fell in the previous 24 hours. The two-day total of more than 450mm is also a new record.

A side-effect of this persistent rain is cold weather.

Darwin is experiencing some of its coldest wet season weather on record as the temperature struggles to exceed 25 degrees.

Today's downpour has taken Darwin's monthly rainfall past 950 millimetres, making it their wettest month in 34 years, and is within striking distance of becoming the wettest month on record.

This month has now become wetter than January 1995 when 940mm fell and as of 3pm Wednesday was only 60mm short of the record 1013mm, set in March 1977.

More than half of this month's rain came down in just three days last week, during Cyclone Carlos' development. This was the wettest three days on record, when a whopping 645mm fell.

Some parts of Darwin have already exceeded one metre of rain for February. Up until this morning Leanyer had 1060mm.
ff
Banded-legged Aretza Aretza sp .3
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii Cocoon
Darwin
FF

FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii Cocoon
In Underground Chamber
Darwin
FF
FF
Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii larvae 5th Instar
Feeding On
Gardenia megasperma
Darwin
FF

FF
Blattellid Cockroaches Balta sp.
Darwin
FF

FF
Burying Mantid - Sphodropoda tristis
Darwin
FF

FF
Cartonema sp
Darwin
FF

FF
Cartonema sp
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Cartonema spicatum
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls.
FF

FF
Clearwing Swallowtail Cressida cressida
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Clerodendrum floribundum
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Commelina ensifolia
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Common Crow Euploea core corinna Catepillar
Darwin
FF

FF
Common Crow Euploea core corinna Cocoon
Darwin
FF

FF
Common Crow Euploea core corinna Empty Cocoon
Darwin
FF

FF
Common Crow Euploea core corinna Immediately After Hatching
Darwin
FF

FF
Cricket Salmanites taltantris
Darwin
FF

FF
Crusader Bug - Mictis profana 3rd Instar
Darwin
FF

FF
Cycad Cycas calcicola
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Diptera sp.
Darwin
FF

TROPICAL Cyclone Carlos II

2011-02-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

FF
Emperor Moth Syntherata janetta Cocoon
Darwin
FF

FF
Emperor Moth Syntherata janetta Larva
Feeding On
Billy Goat Plum Planchonia careya
Darwin
FF

FF
Emperor Moth Syntherata janetta Larva's Feet
Feeding On
Billy Goat Plum Planchonia careya
Darwin
FF
FF
Flemingia parviflora
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF
FF
Garden Bermius
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Giant Frog Cyclorana australis
Darwin
FF

FF
Glossy Shield Bug - Cermatulus nasalis
Eggs and 1st instars
Darwin
FF

FF
Goodenia pilosa
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Gum Hopper Platybrachys sp
Darwin
FF

FF
Harry Moth Caterpillar Possible Lymantriidae sp
Darwin
FF

FF
Harry Moth Caterpillar Possible Lymantriidae sp

Darwin
FF

FF
Hibbertia lepidota
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Horned Treehopper Eufairmairia sp.
Darwin
FF

FF
Hoya australis
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Jewel Beetle Buprestidae sp.
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Katydid Conocephalus sp. instar
Darwin
FF

FF
Little Egret Ardea garzetta Breeding Condition

Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve
FF

FF
Long-jawed Spider Tetragnatha demissa
Darwin
FF

FF
Lotus Lily Nelumbo sp
Darwin
FF

FF
Lycid Beetle Porrostoma sp.
Darwin
FF

FF
Macaranga involucrata
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

TROPICAL Cyclone Carlos III

2011-02-26T15:03:00.001-08:00

Park Sandy CFFFF
Mantid Ciulfina sp.
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

Mantid Hierodula sp.
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek

Monkey Grasshopper Geckomima sp.
Darwin

FF
Orange-headed Wasp Moth - Amata annulata
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Orb Weaving Spider Argiope Keyserlingi
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Red-headed Honeyeater Myzomela erythrocephala
Darwin
FF

FF
Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia
Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve
FF

FF
Salticidae Jumping Spider Cosmophasis sp
Darwin
FF

FF
Scarlet Gum Eucalyptus Phoenicea
Darwin.
FF

FF
Scarlet Gum Eucalyptus Phoenicea Emerging Flower
Darwin
FF

FF
Sesbania cannabina
Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve
FF

FF
Spotted Pea-blue Euchrysops cnejus
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Spotted Pea-blue Euchrysops cnejus Egg Laying
On Cajanus acutifolius
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Stink Bug Pentatomidae sp. Nymph
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Tricoryne elatius
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Urena lobata
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
Utricularia uliginosa
Litchfield National Park Tolmer Falls
FF

FF
Wandering Glider Pantala flavescens
Litchfield National Park Sandy Creek
FF

FF
White Banded Noctuid Moth - Donuca orbigera Close Up
Darwin
FF

FF
White Banded Noctuid Moth - Donuca orbigera
Darwin
FF

FF
White spotted Tussock Moth - Orgyia australis
Feeding On
Acacia holosericea Darwin
FF

FF
Wild Grape Ampelocissus sp
Darwin
FF

Journey South / Stuart Highway

2011-02-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

FF
The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south-a distance of 2,834 kilometres (1,761 mi).

The principal north-south route through the central interior of mainland Australia, the highway is often referred to simply as "The Track". The highway was only fully sealed in the mid-1980s as part of Australia's bicentenary roadworks programme. There are no police patrolling the majority of this remote highway and until the end of 2006 there was no speed limit outside towns and other built-up areas on the Northern Territory part. The bulk of the Northern Territory's population not living in Darwin lies along its track.

Like so much else in the Territory, the Stuart Highway was a legacy of World War Two. The first "road" to the south began at Southport and followed the Overland Telegraph Line to Rum Jungle, Stapleton and Adelaide River. That route was well to the west of the present Stuart Highway. Construction of the telegraph line had required the development of a track along the line's route, to enable wagons and other vehicles to travel with loads of posts, wire, and other materials. An area of approximately two chains width (about 40 metres) was cleared on either side of the line and this became "the track" - the only transport route south.

When war loomed it became apparent that the railway could not meet all defense requirements. Planners saw a need for an all weather road to service dispersed military installations, particularly airfields, in the immediate Darwin hinterland. So, from May 1941, the Darwin Adelaide River section (115km) was upgraded to an all weather gravel road standard. The work was done by the New South Wales Department of Main Roads - contrary to common belief that "the Yanks built the Stuart Highway".
FF
Apostle Bird Struthidea cinerea
Katherine
FF

FF
Barrow Creek In Flood
FF

FF
Bonamia media
Tennant Creek
FF
FF
Bonamia pannosa
Tennant Creek
FF

FF
Cassia Senna glutinosa subsp leurssenii
Tennant Creek
FF

FF
Dampiera candicans
Devils Marbles
FF

FF
Flooded Stuart Highway Between Barrow Creek and Wycliffe Well 2010
FF

FF
Devils Marbles Tennant Creek
FF

FF
Eucalyptus Papuana
Tennant Creek Tableland
FF

FF
Poison Morning Glory Ipomoea muelleri
Tennant Creek
FF

FF
Singing Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens
Tennant Creek
FF

FF
Sturt's Hibiscus Hibiscus sturtii
Tennant Creek
FF

FF
Varied Lorikeet Psitteuteles versicolor
Katherine
FF

FF
Wild Tomato Solanum chippendalei
Tennant Creek
FF