Eat and be eaten

By Amanda De George

I’ve been taking Backyard Zoology very literally recently. I’ve been pretty much housebound the last month or two and so my hiking boots have been replaced with thongs and slippers and my adventures consist of a quick look around the yard and an amble around the street. I’m no longer packing for a few hours or the unexpected, but rather wandering out, coffee in one hand, leaving the other free to turn over leaves. And, you know what? It’s been a really lovely reminder of all the life that continues to tick over, even when we’re not paying attention.

We’ve had a couple of large Eastern Water Dragons move into the backyard. That in itself is a bit of a surprise. In previous years, they’ve hung around the front yard, the dogs’ regular forays out the back keeping them on the other side of the fence. Not only do we have two of these reptiles, but they’re both males. It’s a small yard for a territorial animal, but they are managing, the younger one spending a lot of time sunning itself, legs stretched out in a tree, while the other has commandeered our old barbecue pit.

Turns out, neither of them can resist the lure of the Metallic Shield Bugs, which have also made our yard their home (Dr Chris Reid wrote about these