Dandyman Photography

I know spiders aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. I used to feel the same way. But with a little understanding and respect, you start to see they can be just as charismatic and fascinating as any creature on the planet.

This beauty is likely a male Badge Huntsman. You can tell by the two small leg-like appendages near the mouth called pedipalps. In males, these are used to transfer s***m, ideally from a safe distance to avoid becoming a post-date snack!

He was probably on the hunt for a female, who are typically larger and tend to stay hidden away. Huntsman spiders are actually wonderful to have around the house. They’re natural pest controllers and are considered relatively harmless to humans.

Nature is full of misunderstood marvels, and sometimes we just have to look a little closer.

A Sunday morning done right.

This is another Australian wildflower from the garden.

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑎, native to Western Australia, is also known as the 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞-𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 and 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐲, which blooms from late spring to early summer and is quite at home in coastal sandy soils. When flowering en masse, they make for a terrific splash of colour.

They are easy to grow for the novice gardener, and with a bit of know-how on collecting seed and propagation, you can grow these beauties whenever you like.