Wildlife on Wednesday .... Brush-tail Possum.

The Brush-tail Possum, Trichosurus vulpecular, is the most common marsupial here in eastern Australia.  We often see these cuties ...  as there's usually at least one living somewhere under our roof!  

This one came out the other evening and seemed slightly lost and bemused!

Back in January last year we were seeing two possums ... a mother and her young.  I think the possum we saw last week - pictured above - might be the young one spotted last January.

Here's a shot of the mother and baby from just over a year ago ...

The size and colour of the Brush-tail Possum varies from a copper colour to a silver-grey back with a white to pale grey belly. Here in North Queensland we commonly see the copper coloured ones.

The Brush-tails have large eyes with pointy, prominent ears.  The tail is bushy, although the underside is partly bare with either a black or white tip.

This Possum is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) nocturnal animal that lives in hollow trunks and throughout open forests and woodlands.  We do, however, often seen them living in the towns and cities where they will find shelter under house roofs. 

At night this possum will spend some time on the ground in search for the fresh growth of 

trees. Their diet consists mainly of leaves, but is supplemented with fruit and blossoms.

Breeding normally only one young in autumn, the young will stay in the pouch for 4-5 months and then remain with its mother for another 6-8 weeks in the nest or on the mums back.

Flower Flaunt on Friday.

For great posts where bloggers are flaunting their flowers on a Friday, please make sure you visit Tootsie at
Ferlitizer Friday/Flaunt Your Flowers

Right now in my corner of north-east Downunder ... it's the last month of Autumn and the first bloom on my so-well-loved Bauhinia Variegata 'Alba' has appeared.

 The first gorgeous faces of the Violas have appeared.

There are blooms on the Bracteantha bracteata, also known as Helichrysum bracteatum, or as they're commonly known ... Paper Daisies.  These are from the seeds grown from last year's flowers.

One of my favourites ... the Gomphrena globosa is showing it's beauty.  Some may know it as Globe Amaranth, but here it's common name is Bachelor's Buttons.

At this point I'd like to sing the praises of a blogger from Malaysia ... Jacqueline has a very informative blog that I often visit when I'm wondering about the right conditions for plants in my garden.  This blog has a terrific tropical plant database which I find so easy to read and really helpful.  They have a great post on the Gomphrena if anyone is interested .... John & Jacq's Garden



Back to my garden ... the last blooms I'm adding this Friday are the vibrant New Guinea Impatiens which are adding bright spots out in the Courtyard Garden right now.

Wildlife on Wednesday ... Slimy Snails. A beauty or a beast?

Would you believe it ... I had never seen a real snail in my life until I moved to this property around 10 years ago!

No ... really ...  I had never, ever spotted one before!  Now I know many would react to the sight of a snail with utter disgust and start looking for a frypan and a dob of butter!!!!  But I have to say that I was rather excited and delighted when I did spot one for the very first time leaving its glittery silver trail all over my kitchen window screen.  Actually I stood and watched it for ages and ages marvelling in the sight!  I thought then ... and still do think ... that they are simply amazing creatures.

Now that was, as I said, about ten years back and while I don't see them often, I do see them at least a few times a year ... mostly during a decent 'wet' season.

I don't know anything at all about the different types of snails, so there are no identifying captions on the photos that follow ... these are just photos of various snails spotted in the last few years.

We do tend to see mostly these darker coloured ones.

Every now and then we spot snails like this ...

I do also see snail shells lying around the property every so often.  It seems that our resident kookaburra family enjoy a 'snail snack'. I've seen the kookaburras picking them up and smashing them on nearby rocks.  This fellow was hopping around a garden bed searching for snails ... unfortunately my camera's batteries went dead just after this shot and that was when he had snatched one up with that fabulous beak.
 

I do hope I get to see many more slithery, slimy snails in the future ... but I guess I'll have to be lucky before they're spotted by very keen kookaburra eyes!

Mosaic Monday - A Tribute To Mum on Mother's Day

As I sit here waiting for Mother's Day to draw to a close, my thoughts inevitably turn to the Mother I never really knew.  Taken to a better place over forty years ago when I was very young  ... there still remains a sense of loss.  Today is a day to pay tribute to someone who never got to see her children grow up to have families of their own, a mother who was not part of her children's lives for long at all.
She was born in the early '20s ... was the second youngest of six children ... grew up in poor circumstances ... worked hard for many, many years ... married in her mid-30s ... had two children ... was ill for many years ... and left this mortal world before she was 45.  She loved music, flowers, sewing and cooking.

"A mother holds her children's hands for a while...their hearts forever."

I do hope all mothers out there had a fabulous day.
For other great Mosaic Monday posts, visit Mary at Little Red House.

POSTCRIPT:  I'm adding a link to a beautiful post at one of Ginny's blogs ... thanks very much Ginny.  It is a very touching post for anyone who lost their mother when they were young.  The post is called "The One You Keep Looking For" at The Blessing Bowl