Insects, Spiders and Mites

Back in early July, 2023, whilst walking the farm we came across this startling vista. It is mind boggling to think of how many spiders reside within our farming ecosystem. They represent top order predators in the lower grassland strata. To support this many spiders, there must be considerable insects flying into their webs and being consumed. That number then must require a considerable quantity of smaller critters, and so on, down to the soil biology supporting the whole pyramid.

The Common Brown Butterfly can be astounding in number and activity. Another ecological indicator of our biodiversity.

“Australia’s ‘Common Brown’ is one of the world’s most extraordinary butterflies!

It is also the most common and widespread of Australia’s ‘brown butterflies’. This is largely due to having developed a successful survival strategy. It has managed to achieve this in an extraordinary way…

Although both males and females emerge in Spring – only the males (often in huge numbers) take flight to search for partners. The well-hidden female butterfly, however, enters a state of suspended-animation called ‘aestivation’ – and sleeps right through the Summer months. This enables her to live for as long as 8-9 months – waiting for their host-plant grasses to grow in late Summer and Autumn. It is only then that she will take to the wing.

Because of this it is rare to see a male and female Common Brown butterfly at the same time. This puzzled early butterfly hunters and it still puzzles many today – particularly as the male and (larger) female look like two different species of butterfly!” Australian Butterfly Conservation, (2023)

We have added this video from our soil page. It fits here very well and demonstrates further ecological diversity within our grazing paddocks.

Here we have the Horehound Bug. An Australian native that loves spending time sucking the sap of the weed horehound.