Desert Tree Frogs call for a mate in floodwater pools in Parachilna Gorge following summer rains.
The Desert Tree Frog (Litoria sp. nov. formerly identified as Litoria rubella) is found in the Northern Flinders Ranges. It lives in the vicinity of rock pools and springs, inhabiting damp vegetation and rock crevices, taking the opportunity to mate after heavy rains. Because of the ephemeral nature of floodwaters in arid lands, the larval stages of the Desert Tree Frog may be as brief as 14 days.
Floodwater pooling in Parachilna Gorge after summer rains.
Floodwater in Windy Creek, south of Leigh Creek, feeding into Aroona Dam Sanctuary.
Wild dust storm over Beltana (above) and Aroona (below).
Xanthorrhoea covering the top of one of the striking Pinnacle outcrops of Arkaroola’s Mawson Valley.
After 3 years of drought, the thriving bird haven of the Copley Retention Dam had almost completely evaporated. Flooding summer rains in the Northern Flinders Ranges replenished the dam overnight.
Throughout the flood / drought cycle, Copley Retention Dam is supporting over 70 recorded bird species, many of which are profiled on the Flinders Ranges Field Naturalists site including birds classified as Rare by the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, such as
Also known as Willy Willies, Dust Devils are a common site around the Flinders Ranges. The Bureau of Meteorology define the phenomena as
A localised dust filled vortex similar in shape to a tornado but of much less strength. They differ from dust storms in that they are a more localised and short-lived event. They form due to intense heating at the surface causing a rapid upward movement of parcel of air. This displacement of the surface air causes an inward movement of surrounding air, creating the common spiral shape of the dust devil. Dust devils are generally small in size compared with tornadoes, being about 3-100m in diameter and up to 300m high. Wind speeds inside the vortex reach a maximum of 100km/hr.
The distinctive herringbone pattern of Cirrocumulus stratiformis, high altitude cloud formation of ice crystals and supercooled water droplets, seen over Leigh Creek.
Dramatic Mamma clouds forming over Lyndhurst Ochre Pit.
