One of the alleged obsessions I have is Stick Insects. Last year I spent hours trying to track some down.
This year they found me. It helps that we were in good 'sticky' areas.
The Top one is in the Eastbourne (Wellington) garden of our dear friends Ellen & Paul
The next three were spotted in the Esk Valley north of Napier where we spent four amazing days in a great old farmhouse surrounded by bush, a gentle stream and no-one for miles.
Reading my treasured copy of the classic book 'The Stick Insects of New Zealand' by J.T. Salmon, I think all the specimens are variations on Acanthoxyla prasina intermis.
The bottom picture is a couple of Tree Wetas up to some nocturnal kindoodling. All the Wetas we found were living in holes bored into Kanuka trees.
I think part of the attraction I have for these creatures is they too often get lumbered into the category of 'yukey creepy crawlies' and get vilified because they aren't cute and furry.
No comments:
Post a Comment