#alectoria

Alectoria vexillifera

Strapping witch's hair lichen

. . . I know what you all are going to do with this common name, and I cannot stop you (nor do I want to). But maybe *try* to actually appreciate the lichen that goes with it? Thank you, that is all I ask. This fruticose lichen grows in large, stringy, green-yellow bunches on gravel and heath in windy, arctic-alpine habitats. I often find it hear in the Icelandic highlands, looking like wild herds of loose spaghetti or piles of melted ramen noodles.

images: source | source | source

The ramen noodles crop is coming in nicely in the Icelandic highlands this year!

I was up at Cue a few weeks ago, with the WA Naturalists Club - it’s a Goldfields township some 700 north of Perth. Given that I had to spend most a day driving up, and the same back, I was only up there for the Saturday, but it was very worth it - for one thing, there were these guys around the campsite.

The Crested Katydid aka Superb Katydid is one of Australia’s most spectacular orthopterans, but has no close relatives. It’s widespread across the inland but seems to be relatively uncommon. With good rains they turn up on a variety of plants, and they’re thought to feed on flower buds, petals, and pollen. Which is a little odd, since nothing was in flower up there. That may explain why they were all so sluggish - on the other hand, maybe it was the cooling weather as well - we found large dead grasshoppers and katydids of a variety of species, just lying around.

Another from Tony Eales, who found it out near Roma in Queensland. A truly magnificent beast.

Also known as the Crested Katydid, this species is the only member of its genus and has no close relative. It’s been found across much of inland Australia but never frequently, and since the diet appears to consist of flowers, that’s probably because rain is so infrequent Out Back.