Scorpions

Windellama is home for at least one species of scorpion and the critter in the picture here
is most likely a Marbled Scorpion ( Lychas marmoreus ), he was found under a log by one of our kids. 

Scorpions have been around for over 400 million years so are a very successful species. 
All scorpions are nocturnal and as such not often seen. They are members of the arachnid family.
 
Scorpions have between 6 and 12 eyes depending on species and two of these eyes are 
on their back and if that's not bizarre enough they glow in the dark when viewed under ultra violet light.

The small species we have here are supposed to have a very painfull sting but are not
deadly poisonous.

Before and After

One interesting aspect of the photo of the opening of the bridge over 
the Nerrimunga Creek in last months Windellama News is that there was
very little vegetation in the background, this area now has a lot of trees and shrubs.

The first series of aerial photographs of Windellama were taken in
the 1940's are now held in archives in Canberra and are available for viewing.
They show that many areas of farmland were much more open then than they are now.

The following photos were taken at the same spot on our property over a 33 year period and the young man
on the bike is now in his 40s, The cleared flats from 1973 were by 1998 thick with tea tree and Eucalypt scrub
and by 2006 completely revegetated.