Which creatures are we likely to see?
“You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘It’s great weather for ducks’. But when it comes to wet conditions it’s also great weather for slugs and snails. These animals are particularly sensitive to drying out, so rainy weather is ideal for them to get out and forage, and even hook up with each other.
“We’re also likely to enter mosquito season pretty soon. The ecology of these animals is strongly tied to climatic conditions, so water and warmer temperatures are ideal for them. We will start to see them in our homes as the females look for the blood meal they need to develop their eggs.
“There are also some well-founded concerns that you are likely to encounter funnel web spiders, particularly in certain parts of Sydney. Males regularly come into our homes searching for a female. Their intentions aren’t really nefarious.
“This is the time of year when the animal and plant worlds start to become a bigger part of our lives. For some this means air allergies playing up, or nuisance animals making their presence felt but it also means that animals that spark joy start turning up nesting in our garden, or pollinating our plants.
“It’s a great time to be a biologist and it’s not surprising that some of these animals and plants make their way into our homes.”
