Little Desert National Park VIC Bush Blitz | Oct 2018

On our coldest morning so far, a frosty 3 degrees Celsius, we headed to Horse Shoe Bend on the Wimmera River. We joined the entomology team who explored the river for dragonflies using wading trousers and nets. We worked to hunt the creek bank and open grass areas for all forms of invertebrates (those without a backbone inside their body).

They use specialised equipment to collect and hold specimens of all different sizes from all different places - Low and high, water and dry, leaves, bark and earth. A square sheet can be held under branches while a white pipe or whacking stick is used to thresh the leaves and knock any specimens down. The white sheet makes it easier to spot them, identify them and pop them into a collection vial.

In just a short time, on a rapidly heating up day, the whole team had many insects and arachnids in vials ready for closer inspection under the microscopes of the mobile lab back at the farmstay.

After another quick visit to the Pink Lake to look for brine shrimp (without success), we came home to find a different visitor warming itself in the sun.