We left Windorah and then drove for a day up to the Eyrean Basin west of Winton. Along the way, we passed eucalyptus trees that were infested with mistletoes. I've read before that mistletoe is the host plant of the Azures (Ogyris sp.) so we stopped and had a look at the plants. We immediately found a number of these colourful butterflies. Unfortunately, they remained high in the trees. Also, the males seemed to be in continuous combat and rarely would land for more than a few seconds at a time. I managed to take a few shots of the males but could never photograph the larger females that had a couple of orange spots on the outer upper wing.
Satin Azure (Ogyris amaryllis)
Caper Whites (Belenois java) were also common in the area and visited the mistletoe flowers.
The Eyrean Basin west of Winton was a scenic place. We were lucky to arrive at the start of the wet. Clouds built up during the day and the colours of the sunset were beautiful. Later that night, we experienced torrential rain and nearly continuous lightning. We had to take shelter since we could not see the road and there were flash floods in some of the creek crossings. These conditions stimulated reptile activity and we had one of our most productive night drives the following night.
Spinifex grew in large clumps here. These seemed to form outwardly growing ovals so were no doubt from the same original plant.
Our campsite where we waited out the storm on the first night. At night, we could not see lights in any direction. We were all alone in this empty part of Australia.
These pretty red native roaches were numerous on the road.
Strophurus krisalys look similar to Northern Spiny-tailed Geckos but have a blue rather than orange mouth lining.
Prickly Knob-tailed Geckos (Nephrurus asper) were seen a few times. These are big geckos with a massive head and a bizarre, tiny tail that ends with a ball.
... adult
... juvenile
Pale-striped Ground Geckos (Lucasium immaculatum) are nicely marked geckos that mostly have an inaccessible range. This area seemed to be good for the species and we encountered several on the road.
Tessellated Gecko (Diplodactylus tessellatus) were found a few times.
Marbled Velvet Geckos (Oedura marmorata) were big, colourful geckos. They have distinctive juvenile and adult colourations.
... juvenile:
... intermediate between juvenile and adult:
... adult:
Gehyra robusta lived in drains beneath the road.
When the road crossed gibber flats (areas with small, polished stones) we found a small but interesting dragon. These were Pebble Dragons (Tympanocryptis cephalus), little dragons that mimic rocks. When frightened, they pull their legs against their body. Their tails are usually whitish in colour and resemble a dry stick.
Burton's Snake Lizard (Lialis burtonis) are lizards that belong to the flap-footed lizard family (Pygopodidae). These lizards are closely related to geckos and are primarily found in Australia. Burton's Snke Lizards vary greatly in colouration. This one was particularly nice.
This Spinifex Slender Blue-tongue (Cyclodomorpha melanops) was a lifer to me. It moved to the shade of Andrew's leg and then climbed to his head.
This Stimson's Python (Antaresia stimsoni) was on the road late on the second night in this area.
The highlight of the evening was finding this wonderfully marked Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus). It was a gentle snake and sat placidly while we took photos. This species has a highly toxic bite but it would be difficult to be bitten unless the snake was handled.
Strange grasshopper that looked pebble-like:
Burn's Dragons (Amphibolurus burnsi) were common along the road and on trees in the Eyrean Basin. They would wave their hand when disturbed.
We also found one of the similar Gilbert's Dragons (Amphibolurus gilberti). This was also a hand-waving dragon.
This frog would scream harshly at us if we approached it. I believe that it is in genus Cyclorana but am not certain of the species. The distribution of the various burrowing frogs is not that well known yet in the interior.
We found a couple beautiful Yellow-spotted Monitors (Varanus panoptes) the next day. These are fearless animals that quickly become adjusted to one's presence and then will continue with their foraging.
When I first stopped the car, the monitor reared and looked annoyed. It soon became calm and walked on.
Sometimes, they will lay flat like this as if they are hidden from view.
Andrew was thrilled to watch this big lizard at such close range. It walked right past him.
... it crossed the road and continued to hunt through the spinifex
Winton
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