Four-spotted Cup Moth

Larva of the Four-spotted Cup Moth Doratifera quadriguttata.

Land for Wildlife member Uwe Path has sent in another great photo from the ever-growing menagerie that can be found on his property. This caterpillar had us stumped initially but in the search for a positive identification, we found a very useful website.

The Coffs Harbour Butterfly House website has a resource for anyone trying to identify caterpillars, moths or butterflies. If you're ever trying to pin down the identity of a caterpillar in your yard try visiting http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/

The database here is by no means exhaustive but provides a fair cross-section of the more common species that you might come across.

Gardening may go to the very heart of what it means to be human.

The Radio National archives have served up the following morsel for all the gardeners out there. This interview with Robert Pogue Harrison on Late Night Live with Phillip Adams provides some interesting perspectives on gardens and gardening. The interview dates from 2009 and serves up some interesting food for thought.

Follow this link to download the entire interview.

Land for Wildlife Workshop: Rabbit Monitoring and Control - 10 am Saturday, 31st of March at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens

The infamous star of the show - Oryctolagus cuniculus. Pic. JJ Harrison

The 2012 series of Land for Wildlife workshops will commence on Saturday the 31st of March, with a workshop on rabbits and their control. The workshop will be held at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens in the meeting room beside the cafe. The information session will commence at 10am, and should run for about 20 minutes. The Land for Wildlife coordinators will be available after the information session for any questions relating to rabbits on your property.

Dr. Bill Low will be in attendance to provide an introduction to the history of rabbits and rabbit control measures in the NT.

Central Australian Bats with Dennis Matthews

Gould's Wattled Bat Chalinolobus gouldii. The prettiest of the bunch, and about the most widespread species in Australia.

Bats are one type of wildlife which we don't often get to have a close look at here in Alice Springs. They're certainly about and are actually quite common. This was conclusively shown by a recent workshop that we were able to hold at the Land for Wildlife offices. Renowned bat expert Dennis Matthews was in town and had just enough time to run an information session for members and interested locals.

Dennis Matthews explains the ingenious harp trap. The aluminium frame supports taut vertical filaments. The bats fly into these filaments and slide down to roost in the layers of canvas beneath.

After a very educational presentation indoors, Dennis led us into the garden to demonstrate some survey techniques. We had a look at some ANABAT recording devices in action and then a couple of harp traps were set up and left overnight to see what species we have fluttering around our office at night.

Lesser Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus geoffroyi.

In the morning we were rewarded with 9 bats from 4 different species. On the recorders the previous night we had identified a further two species in the area that we didn't manage to catch in the traps.

Inland Freetail Bat Mormopterus planiceps.

We mainly get insectivorous microbats here, with only occasional visits from the Little Red Flying Fox following particularly wet seasons in The Centre. Microbats mostly call well above the range of human hearing and can be difficult to track in a torch beam due to their fast flight and small size. So it was a genuine treat to get up so close and have a good look. Thanks Dennis!

Spectacled Hare-wallaby Roadkill in The Tanami...

Spectacled Hare-wallaby Lagorchestes conspicillatus. Just north of Rabbit Flats, Tanami Rd, NT. Photo: Dave Price.

Some bittersweet news this morning when I got into the office. Dave Price, photographer extraordinaire and regular contributor to our newsletters and blog posts, has sent in some more pics. Unfortunately, he and wife Bess found a roadkilled Spectacled Hare-wallaby Lagorchestes conspicillatus, just north of Rabbit Flats on the Tanami Road. Initially they thought it might have been a Mala Lagorchestes hirsutus, but these are sadly now almost certainly gone from the wild in this area. The Spectacled Hare-wallaby is still holding out though. This is a slightly larger animal which is easily identified by the prominent rufous "spectacles" for which it is named.

Interestingly, in 1997 a population of Spectacled Hare-wallabies was discovered in the south-west of Papua New Guinea, making it one of very few macropods that isn't endemic to Australia.

Spectacled Hare-wallaby. Photo: Dave Price.

It's always a shame to see wildlife killed on the road, but I guess it at least shows us that they're still out there and gives us a chance to see some of these more elusive animals close up. We'd love to hear from anyone else that has found an out-of-the-ordinary roadkill. If you do a bit of driving and find anything of interest drop us a line and let us know about your discovery.

lfw@lowecol.com.au

Ayers Rock Yulara Resort Gives Land for Wildlife the Thumbs Up!

Dunes; a haven for all sorts of wildlife in the western deserts.

Exciting news this week with management at Ayers Rock Yulara Resort giving the go ahead for full registration of the resort with Land for Wildlife. This is the culmination of many months of collaboration between LFW coordinators Jesse and Chris and Adrienne Horton, a representative from resort managers, Voyages.

Adrienne has several bold conservation initiatives planned, to increase biodiversity in the area surrounding the resort and preserve and protect the fragile dune ecosystem. We'll keep you posted as plans come to fruition!

A heartfelt congratulations to Adrienne, who has worked tirelessly to see the registration through, and whose passion for conservation has been the foundation of this exciting new partnership.

Scribblers of The Centre - Get Busy!



Got something on your mind? (Pic. innoxiuss Wikicommons.)

 If you've got something on your mind, we'd love to hear from you. Jesse and Chris are always looking for interesting wildlife stories and photographs for the newsletter, interstate newsletters, and this blog.

If you've got some pictures or tales to share and think they might be appropriate for distribution to the national Land for Wildlife network, drop us an email and tell us all about it.

Maybe you've seen an unusual animal interaction in your yard or perhaps you have some unidentified plants or animals. Whatever it is, pass it on and we can help to disperse it to a wider audience.

There are no deadlines, so just get those creative juices flowing and let us all see the results!

lfw@lowecol.com.au