Ptilomacra senex

Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Cossidae

Ptilomacra senex

Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Cossidae

The small, insect eaters will go to any lengths to secure a meal. Every tree and bush gets a regular working over. There really is nowhere to hide for small moths.

Acanthiza pusilla

The small, insect eaters will go to any lengths to secure a meal. Every tree and bush gets a regular working over. There really is nowhere to hide for small moths.

Acanthiza pusilla

The small, insect eaters will go to any lengths to secure a meal. Every tree and bush gets a regular working over. There really is nowhere to hide for small moths.

Acanthiza pusilla

This common, clumping fungus grows on buried dead wood, such as old tree roots. The greenish gills make it easy to recognise - and it’s poisonous!

Hypholoma fasciculare

Fungi; Agaricales

Eriophora sp.

A comm on group of spiders, although we never see many. Perhaps the birds eat them. This one certainly disappeared the day after I first sighted her.

Family: Araneidae; subfamily: Araneinae

Eriophora sp.

A comm on group of spiders, although we never see many. Perhaps the birds eat them. This one certainly disappeared the day after I first sighted her.

Family: Araneidae; subfamily: Araneinae

Epacris impressa

Oxycanus dirempta

Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Hepialidae

Beyeria lasiocarpa

Astroloma humifusum

Correa reflexa var. speciosa

unknown species - but that might change, if I don’t tire of feeding them before they grow and pupate

Miturga sp.

Miturga sp.

If you find a bunch of large, overlapping mushrooms bursting from the soil, with rust-coloured spores and a ‘veil’ covering the gills when young - it’s probably a Cortinarius sp. This may be the largest genus of agaric mushrooms, with 2000 species worldwide!

Fungi; Agaricales

The wettest parts of the forest floor are covered in tiny, bell-shaped mushrooms on long, thin stems. They are simply everywhere. And they come in varying combinations of brown and cream. Some Mycena species are brilliant red or blue … I’ll keep looking!

Fungi; Agaricales

These stunning, tiny mushrooms are almost global - occurring throughout tropical and temperate regions. The fungus grows on dead wood.

Cyptotrama asprata

Fungi; Order: Agaricales

The mushrooms begin as tiny, fuzzy, brightly coloured balls.

Cyptotrama asprata

Fungi; Order: Agaricales

There is something quite un-fungus like about these mushrooms!

Cyptotrama asprata

Fungi; Order: Agaricales

There were several of these tiny (<5mm long), velvety beetles crawling about a fungus-covered log.

Lemodes coccinea

Order: Coleoptera; Family: Anthicidae

The brilliant red hairs shimmer and glisten, but with a defined pattern of circles.

Lemodes coccinea

Order: Coleoptera; Family: Anthicidae

A tiny, golden-headed mushroom that grows on herbivore poo. It’s a cosmopolitan species, probably introduced to Australia with livestock.

Fungi; Agaricales

Collected from Dung Roundhead, growing on wombat poo. The fungus is doing a good job!

scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)

The colour, shape and size of spores can help identify a fungus. Many are ‘white’, such as these.

scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)

We collect the spores by placing a piece of the fungus onto a microscope slide. In just a few hours, the fungus dries and drops the mature spores.

scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)

We then add a drop of water, a coverslip, and view using a high-power compound microscope, with a camera attached. Paul is making good use of technical skills honed during his research career!

scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)