Lesley Smitheringale Fine Art

January 4th, 2009

Nature Can be Kind - Garden Guests Diary

After my upsetting post about the evil assassin bug killing the orchard swallowtail caterpillars in my garden I have some really good news.  I actually had not intended for this update to happen and was checking to see if we had any mail in the late afternoon.  Something made me go over and check the citrus tree where the caterpillars had been and I guess I was still upset that the two of them had vanished or been wiped out by the assassin bug.  I examined the lemon tree and saw it, hoping that maybe it was …

Posted in Featured, Garden Guests Diary
By Lesley Smitheringale

January 1st, 2009

Nature Can be Cruel- Garden Guests Diary

I’ve been watching and photographing a couple of huge Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillars for the past week and they are the biggest caterpillars I have seen.  I was keen to keep an eye on them to perhaps be lucky enough to witness the transformation to cocoon and butterfly. If you get upset easily you may not want to read this story.

Posted in Garden Guests Diary, Wildlife
By Lesley Smitheringale

December 8th, 2008

Orville the Orphan and others - Garden Guests Diary

This juvenile magpie has been coming down to our garden and is spending a lot of time with us.  He has been abandoned or pushed away by his parents and he is a lost soul at the moment.  The resident magpies are less than happy that “Orville” is around and they attack him to the point where he hides under a leafy tree. 

Posted in Garden Guests Diary
By Lesley Smitheringale

November 16th, 2008

Leaf Curling Spiders and more - Garden Guests Diary

Again, I ventured out into my garden after a shower of rain and the atmosphere was uncomfortably sticky and humid but it’s worth it to see the garden guests who emerge in the freshly soaked foliage.

Posted in Garden Guests Diary
By Lesley Smitheringale

October 27th, 2008

After the Storm - Garden Guests Diary

We had a fierce storm the other afternoon causing one of my cats to bolt under the bed.  The rain teemed down and I actually jumped when I heard the first clap of thunder. It didn’t last long fortunately and afterwards the sun shone through the damp foliage with the smell of rain lingering in the steamy atmosphere.  This is my favourite time to take photographs and I love the dew drops and the renewed freshness of everything in the garden.  It also brings out many garden guests from their hidey-holes.

Posted in Garden Guests Diary
By Lesley Smitheringale

October 5th, 2008

The First Summer Garden Guests

Well, I think we are having an early summer in Queensland, Australia as the temperatures have been reaching 30 degrees centigrade already and it is hot and sticky.  Whilst this can be uncomfortable for us humans, the hot summer weather brings about gorgeous summer guests such as butterflies, hoverflies, dragonflies, cicadas and a whole lot more which I am still discovering in my garden from year to year.

Posted in Garden Guests Diary, Wildlife
By Lesley Smitheringale

September 28th, 2008

Visited by a King Parrot

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this fellow munching the seed bell at 6am this morning and he is probably the most striking bird I have ever seen in my garden.  It’s my first sighting ever of an Australian King-Parrot and they really are impressive with the flash of scarlet and vivid emerald green.

Posted in Garden Guests Diary, Wildlife
By Lesley Smitheringale

September 24th, 2008

“Amorous Male Lorikeet” caught in the act!

I have been filming some of the birds in my garden recently and have been using my old four megapixels camera so the quality is not wonderful.  To make up for this, I think that you will find this clip of an amorous male rainbow lorikeet “hiliarious” as he “struts his stuff” trying to impress the female who is less than keen.  It also gives “kick boxing” a whole new meaning and it has obviously existed in nature before we knew it and just goes to show you that “all of us girls have to protect ourselves somehow!”

Posted in Garden Guests Diary, Wildlife
By Lesley Smitheringale

August 31st, 2008

Spring has arrived in Queensland!

Due to the spring weather that is now upon us in Queensland, Australia, I have noticed a lot more insects fluttering and buzzing around plus all the spring blooms which are bursting with vitality, colour and fragrances in my garden.  The flowering Jasmine for instance has the most beautiful smell and it’s just a shame that it only flowers once a year at the end of August. I couldn’t resist capturing the early signs of spring with my camera.  Spring has a knack of cheering you up, don’t you think?

Posted in Garden Guests Diary
By Lesley Smitheringale

July 27th, 2008

Garden Guests Diary: Sharing Supper

I captured Mr and Mrs Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo sharing supper late this afternoon.  Our seed bell had been munched to the point where it had fallen to the ground and these birds are known for their intelligence.

Posted in Garden Guests Diary, Wildlife
By Lesley Smitheringale