# late winter in Wollongong -- a few herps and flowers



## moloch05 (Aug 18, 2008)

August is the final month of winter in the Wollongong area. By the middle of the month, many plants in the heath habitats have commenced flowering. In another 2 or 3 weeks, the heath will be a blaze of colour. Some of the smaller skinks have begun to emerge when the days are mild and sunny. My son even found a large blue-tongue today that was sunning itself in someone's garden.

Here are a few recent herp and flower shots from the Wollongong area.

Garden Skink (_Lampropholis delicata_) -- the most abundant reptile in this area during the warmer months.












_Anepischtos maccoyi_ -- I used to think that this skink was scarce near Wollongong. This winter, I have seen more of these little skinks than any other species. I doubt that their densities have really changed so I must just have overlooked them before. Wollongong is the northern distributional limit of this cool adapted skink. They are always found in shaded, damp locations.










... the scales are refractive, a common feature of many small Aussie skinks.






Weasel Skink (_Saproscincus mustellinus_) -- like _A. maccoyi_, a skink from damp habitats.











Copper-tailed Skinks (_Ctenotus taeniolatus_) -- common in well-drained areas with sandstone. They are nicely marked skinks.










... older adult where the tail colour is not so pronounced:












Lesueur's Velvet Gecko (_Oedura lesueurii_) -- abundant little geckos in the sandstone country.







Here are recent photos of some of the plants that have begun to flower.

Red Spider-flower (_Grevillea _sp.) -- member of the Proteaceae family.






Grey Spider-flower (_Grevillea buxifolia_)






Drumstick (_Isopogon sp._) -- another Proteaceae.






_Banksia_ -- another Proteaceae






_Hakia sp._ -- another Proteaceae






_Boronia sp._ 











another _Boronia_






heaths:











peas are numerous and diverse:











Waxflower (_Eriostemon sp._):











Wattles are abundant and varied. 






Regards,
David


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## gman78 (Aug 18, 2008)

Grea photos.
What camera have you got?


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Aug 18, 2008)

The coppertails love having their pic taken by the looks of it.

Im sure you took some pics of the bluie your son found to..?

Could be an early start to the season down here to as ive had a few calls already.


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## LullabyLizard (Aug 18, 2008)

Aww! They are cute!


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## moloch05 (Aug 18, 2008)

Thanks for the feedback.

Gman,
I user a Canon 40D with a 90mm macro.

Baz,
No pics of the blue-tongue. I did not see it. 


Regards,
David


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## jasontini (Aug 18, 2008)

Beautiful pictures there..Brings colors to my Monday morning..!
Thanks for sharing..


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## saratoga (Aug 18, 2008)

Hi David

looks like the benefits of the new camera setup are already showing up!...great shots and report

cheers

Greg


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## callith (Aug 18, 2008)

awesome photos


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## warren63 (Aug 18, 2008)

Great pics , love the Lesuers


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## Tim.Arm (Aug 18, 2008)

*Beautiful shoot's mate.*


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