The
narrow-leaf gingers (
Alpinia modesta) along the driveway host a range of tiny creatures that I have yet to see on other plants. I'm not sure if this is because gingers are their preferred habitat or if it is because the critters are easier to spot on the smooth leaves. I suspect it might be a little from column A and a little from column B.
Late afternoon is a good time to observe these little beasts. Once the sun passes behind the trees, the temperature drops inside the forest and the gloom creeps in. Most of the birds have packed up for the day, although noisy gangs of scrubwrens (both Atherton and large-billed) often make last minute feeding raids before retiring. If you're only a few millimetres long, you take your chances around here.
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| Pleuropoma sp., a land-living relative of marine nerites |
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| A herd of very small pulmonates |
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A free-living mite. The ones you can see are the best sort.
The ones you can't see give you scrub itch. |
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| Another mite of the same species. (Have you started scratching yet?) |
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Mite follows snail. Nothing sinister. The mite overtook the snail
and continued on its way. |
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A pensive ant. Meranoplus sp (?). These ants are very common on vegetation
and are pleasantly mild-mannered compared with some other ants I could mention... |
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| Webs everywhere |
