Kevin, Karen and Keith here just hopped right past my front door. Guess they’re off to brunch in the forest, about 50m away. #Straya

@ShaulaEvans oh please tell your friend about the Australian small ant-blue butterfly!

Fun facts:
1. Critically endangered in Victoria but still breeds in Canberra including near my house in the suburbs.
2. The female is more colourful than the male.
3. Has a symbiotic relationship with coconut ants who build nests in dead wood. The butterfly lays eggs next to ant nests. The ants take the eggs inside and feed the larvae. When the caterpillar is big enough it then makes food for the ants. Then it crawls out of the nest, makes its cocoon, and becomes a butterfly.
4. To protect the butterfly, we must protect the ant. To protect the ant, we must leave dead eucalyptus and acacia wood on the ground instead of tidying up our reserves or building houses on them.

@bananamangodog omg fun! Thank you, will do that right now

One of the things I like about Mastodon’s algorithm-free space is that it’s so easy to find interesting accounts to follow when I want more.

All I do is toot about something I’m interested in, then wait a few hours to see who stars or boosts the toot. Those people are likely to also have that interest and are worth following.