party animals
While most creatures are winding down for the winter break, some species are kicking on until last call,
With winter approaching, most creatures are making preparations to survive the cold: laying eggs, fattening up, or pupating into the ‘resting stage’. Most are preparing for a break... but not all. For some species, there’s less competition at this time of year, and the resources are all theirs for a short time before winter kicks in.
Various species of Jezebel butterflies are laying their eggs on mistletoes, and sipping nectar from any remaining flowers. As most predatory or parasitic insects are already in winter mode, the only thing they need to worry about are birds taking some of their caterpillars. And in what seems to be a new trend, a few spider species now stay active later into winter, trying to catch enough insects to make a few more egg sacs before winter kills them.
Some reptiles are also late-season stayers. In the mountains, copperhead snakes and blotched blue-tongue lizards ( above) are still roaming and feeding, even though they’re so cold in the mornings, they can barely move. But being dark-skinned, and basking on dark rocks, they warm up rapidly and get moving. Copperheads are feasting on drowsy frogs and lizards, and occasionally mice and rats, while blue-tongues are seeking fungi, yellow flowers and snails. On the coast, southern leaf-tailed gecko babies are around, too, feasting in peace with little competition from other reptiles for the few insects and spiders still about.
A few frog species time their breeding cycle for this time when ponds and puddles are unoccupied by other species, and resources such as insects are all theirs. Whistling tree frogs can be heard around grassy ditches at night.
There are always some rule breakers, though, and the little brown common eastern froglets are still calling. In fact, they never stop! Autumn, winter, spring, summer... there are always some calling, and prepared to have a shot at breeding. Some species just never know when to take a break!