The moth

White-stemmed Gum Moth (presumably)

We've seen a couple of these really big moths around, both in Armidale as well as out on our travels around eastern Australia.  Seeing large moths--or any type of large insect--is just so fascinating to me, since they're not very common in any of the northern areas I've previously lived.

A week or two ago when I walked into work there was one just sitting on the brick walkway, so I decided to take some photos.  It was one of the first really cold mornings of this autumn, about 6° C (about 43°F) so it wasn't keen to be flying away and didn't seem to mind me (or the dollar next to it) at all.

In looking up common large moths in Australia and subsequently reading a little bit about Chelepteryx collesi, I read that these moths are so large (a wingspan reaching a size of 16 cm) they are sometimes mistaken for bats.  This doesn't surprise me one bit.  Last week at Reid's gamelan concert, there was one of these moths flying around the room.  It also flew into the back of my head, and for just a moth, it actually hurt a little bit.

It was a chilly, rainy day and it was still there when I left at the end of the day.  I decided to take some photos of the outdoor art at the Keeping Place as well (somehow, I haven't put any of this on my blog before.)  The entrance to the Keeping Place is very interesting with a vibrant painted walkway and sculptures of Australian fauna.

Goanna

A little possum

Dragon

Frill-necked lizard