Nullarbor plants

Nullarbor insects

A tiny spider hiding on a lichen covered tree knot

Insect on a saltbush

Blue butterfly

Lerp on a leaf

I think this might be an exoskelton left when the insect outgrew it.

Pildappa Rock

At Minnipa we turned north off the Eyre Highway and travelled about 15 km to Pildappa Rock. It's south of the Gawler Range and different altogether geologically speaking.

The wave at Pildappa Rock

The rock is an inselberg of pink granite formed about 7 km below the surface and exposed by erosion. It's most attractive feature is the wave and there are numerous gnamma rockholes on the top of the rock, many holding water when we visited. Some had vegetation and one had tadpoles.

Pildappa Rock and Gawler Range in the background.

Mosses, lichens and succulents on the rock.

Flowering vegetation in one of the rockholes (and a butterfly wing).

Tadpoles in a rockhole.

Vegetation in a rockhole

Pildappa Rock was a delightful place to visit.

A study in red (and grey)

I was tempted by delightful coastal footpath on the west bank of the Spencer Gulf at Port Augusta but I only had time to check out a short section where it wound through saltmarsh. The busy railway lines are an ever-present background because these lines head in all directions for thousands of kilometres.

Saltmarsh and mangroves, Port Augusta

From a distance the saltmarsh looks like a sea of red but actually there are a number of species. The mangroves were looking very healthy as well.

Baby Grey Mangrove

Adult Grey Mangrove (click to view large to see the pneumatophores)

None of the succulent saltmarsh species were flowering unfortunately but they are still very beautiful when looked at closely.

And this one has me puzzled as well. I have no ideas on what it might be but the spiral leaf pattern is spectacular.

And one more, green this time.