St Andrews Cross Spider

March 30, 2016April 28, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 13 Comments

Not necessarily an image you want with your leisurely morning coffee whilst browsing your WordPress reader (sorry for that). This spider is just one of the species under the genus Argiope which are known for the striking colors on their abdomen. A. keyserlingi and A. aetherea are found in Australia and we call them St Andrews Cross spiders because they sit in the very center of the web with pairs of legs together in an X shape. They also often incorporate a much larger X across the web with silk (part of this can be seen in the bottom left of this photo). Rest assured, this is one of Australia’s friendly spiders which wont kill you 😉

Hide and Seek

February 18, 2016April 28, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 9 Comments

Rhinoceros beetles are the largest of all beetles, and in far north Queensland can grow up to 2.5inches (about 6cms). I’d like to think that this beautiful male rhinoceros beetle who lives in Cairns is playing hide and seek with his lady friend inside the coconut. However, it might be that he is actually having a territorial dispute with another male over this lovely coconut house. The beetle in the coconut was also playing hide and seek with me, so I didn’t get a good look to see if it had horns or not (which only males have and are used to fight off other males over the privilege to mate with a female). Judging by the thick armor and huge horns, I get the feeling though that male beetles just don’t know how to be friendly at all.

Spring Babies

January 20, 2016November 22, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 7 Comments

Each year the season of Spring brings with it an influx of animal youngsters growing up in the warmer months of the year. Spring time in Tasmania, Australia, is a particularly wonderful time of year where baby wombats are following their mothers around. They are incredibly cute and cuddly, and very solid little creatures. Don’t let that fool you though, as they have quite large and sharp claws for digging burrows, and can run surprisingly fast for their short little legs. This particular mum and bub was quite happy to be photographed, even sharing a very cute and cuddly moment with the camera whilst contently munching on the grass.

Cuddly Wombats - Photograph by Laura Lecce — Cuddly Wombats – Photograph by Laura Lecce

King of the Aussie Bush

January 15, 2016November 22, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ 17 Comments

Here is a photograph of my favorite Australian bird, the Kookaburra. The loud calling sound it makes is like boisterous human laughter echoing through the outback, mainly in the early mornings and approaching dusk. A skilled hunter, these birds prey on mice, snakes, small reptiles and the babies of other birds, and are fittingly called the Kings of the Australian bush. This particular kookaburra is very riled up, having just had a dispute with a fellow bird, which was perched next to him. Whatever the argument they were having… he definitely won.

On The Hunt

December 10, 2015November 22, 2016 ~ laura lecce ~ Leave a comment

This very cute echidna was photographed just outside of our lodge near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. The echidna is a uniquely Australian creature with a resemblance to hedgehogs and porcupines, except that strangely, they lay eggs. On this particular afternoon, this echidna was on the hunt for ants and termites, using long claws to rip apart this tree trunk. Tasmania is rich in Australian wildlife and a wonderful place to get away and relax.