What
Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)Observer
barnelDescription
A lone male Mandarin Duck that apparently appeared at Lake Rotoiti in November 2014. It is said that the only Mandarins in NZ are privately owned so this one must have escaped from an avairy etc.
A local St Arnaud ranger has named him Alphonso.
What
Plant Bugs (Family Miridae)Observer
barnelDescription
Green-Pea Aphid. Aphids are part of the family Aphidoidea and there are about 4400 species worldwide. This one was on a flower in our garden and as we are all aware, Aphids cause great damage to ornamental and agricultural plants.
What
Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum)Observer
barnelDescription
Helix Aspersa – Brown Garden Snail. This is a relatively common garden snail here in New Zealand but is part of a diverse family of some 1400 native species of snails and slugs that we have. With our heavily wooded and mountainous regions that vary in temperatures from zero to 30 degrees Celsius our country is able to support a wide biodiversity of such mollusc’s.
What
Beetles (Order Coleoptera)Observer
barnelDescription
I think that these are Steel-blue Ladybugs (Halmus chalybeus) that will be feeding upon very small aphids on this flower. Other insect threats to Aphids are the likes of wasps, hoverfly, aphid midge and crab spiders.
What
Typical Cicadas (Family Cicadidae)Observer
barnelDescription
I believe that this is a cicada shell that will have been shed overnight. It was on the handrail of a deck at a home we were renting.
What
English Daisy (Bellis perennis)Observer
barnelDescription
These were common daisies growing in our lawn but when i set my camera on the ground and took this macro shot I got an idea of the world that is less than 30mm tall.
What
Chorus Cicada (Amphipsalta zelandica)Observer
barnelDescription
This is a green Amphipsalta zealandica cicada and is one of the ‘singing family’ of cicada’s. These insects can sing up a storm when attracting females for mating with noise up to 90 decibels – this would not be tolerated by neighbours with radios or noisy motor vehicles. There has to be some upsides to being a bug!