Tripping off

Have been laid low for a few days with an URTI type virus - hence no posts.  Now I'm off for a week visiting friends on the NSW South Coast.  Am looking forward to some cooler weather - the heat and humidity has been relentless here.

For those who are wondering, the wasp nest on the budgie is still intact.  I suspect it may have hatched by the time I return, though.  By then the budgie will need a good scrub to get all the hard mud off.  A day or two in a bucket of water will probably help.

Meanwhile, look at the unusual gecko that turned up on the verandah the other day.

This is as close as I could get, but hopefully you can make out the deep brown markings that are very like Aboriginal art motifs and give him a very striking appearance.  His thick broad tail makes it hard to distinguish which end the head is on -- all part of his protective camouflague.

Geckos have been a favourite of mine since age six, when I was given a copy of the delightfully illustrated children's book, 'Gecko: The Lizard Who Lost His Tail'.  This was one of a series on Australian fauna written by Leslie Rees.  Others were 'Shy, the Platypus', 'Karrawingi the Emu', 'Kurri Kurri the Kookaburra' and 'Sarli the Turtle'.  School libraries were full of these 'educational' titles and teachers loved to read them aloud to us in our 'Nature Study' lessons.  I can't imagine that any Aussie kid growing up in the forties, fifties or sixties wouldn't have come across these stories.  Gecko was my favourite character because of the trick he had of dropping his tail -- and growing it back again later!

I didn't see a gecko in the flesh until I went to teach in New Guinea.  There they ran riot inside the houses, chasing and swallowing whole, the moths that congregated around the lights.  These were of the common 'Asian House Gecko' variety (Hemidactylus frenatus), also found in Australia's tropical north.  In recent years, however, they have been venturing further south.  This summer they have reached plague proportions in Brisbane and householders are fast losing tolerance for them as they find one of these cute little lizards popping out of every cupboard and drawer that they open.  Worse still, they seem to have a knack for getting caught in closing doors, which brings them to a very sticky end.

Although I'm not aware of the presence of Hemidactylus in any numbers around here, sightings have been reported as far south as Byron Bay and at Uralba, south of Ballina.  Geckos differ from most of the house skinks (like the ones in my kitchen and living-room), in that they have suction pads on their toes and spend most of their time patrolling the walls and ceilings.

I will try to identify my handsome, painted little friend and find out more about him.  And if he is at all interested in eating the clothes moths in the wardrobes or the weevil moths in the pantry, I'll certainly invite him in.

See you again in a week or so!

Comments

[Jean]

Sorry to hear you've been feeling ill. Hope you have a lovely relaxing break and return feeling restored. The gecko is adorable, but I guess I wouldn't like to share a house with dozens of them!

[Val]

Jude,

The markings of the gecko are wonderfully clear when I click on the photo to enlarge it.

I hope you've recovered and are enjoying your break.

[IanH]

There seems to be a bit of a gecko population explosion this year in Bundaberg as well, wonder why ?

[joared]

I wish we had geckos where I live. Wonder if I imported one (they have them in Hawaii) it would survive here in the house? :-) We don't have the Hawaiian climate, nor do we get quite as hot as you in the Hinterlands, so suspect they might require special living quarters inside the house. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[Alice]

I hope you are feeling better now, Jude. I know a week on the NSW South Coast will put a spring back in your step. We were down there, too, this past week - perhaps I passed you on the street? Were you south or north of Batemans Bay? We were south. Love all the area down there. Lovely mix of country and coast.

What a beautiful little gecko.. its pattern is so intricate and complex!