Nature-spotting in the suburbs
If you live in a place with a garden then you've got an obvious advantage. Gardens attract critters and while humans have had a bad impact on many species, some don't seem to mind living near people at all. One of the most remarkable creatures I've seen turned up one night when I lived in a high-density apartments area in Dee Why, in Sydney's Northern Beaches. In a street full of blocks of flats, a gigantic Titan stick insect appeared. That's it in the photo above-right. Titan stick insects are possibly the longest type of insect on Earth, and there it was on my letterbox. It wasn't posted there. It probably fell out of a food tree. More information about that Titan here.

This moth is similar to many kinds of moths on fences and walls around built-up areas. They're not very easy to see sometimes

Camouflage
If you live in the inner city, you might surprise yourself by taking a careful look at any outdoor spot where plants are growing.

The moth shown above is exactly the kind of critter you might see on fences or on tree bark. But it's definitely not the only well-camouflaged critter you'll find.

The Dinopis spider is beautiful and often hanging around inner-city courtyards, but it's easily missed because of its remarkable camouflage. More info about Dinopis spiders here

I also often find Dinopis spiders in inner-city Sydney courtyards. These spiders are easily overlooked because of their superb camouflage. The Dinopis shown above is one example, photographed in the courtyard of an inner-city terrace. More information about Dinopis here.

Amphibians

A Striped Marsh frog found living in the courtyard of an inner-city terrace

Then there was this other surprise encounter. The large Striped Marsh Frog shown above turned up while digging a hole for a plant in a tiny courtyard at an inner-eastern terrace house in Sydney. I definitely did not expect to find frogs living so far from streams and the bush. This was another case where the colours of the frog matched its surroundings. We were careful not to crush the frog with our digging tools and to leave it in its spot.

Weird

Another Dinopis spider found on an inner-city fence

Yeah okay, maybe I'm the weird one because I find these Dinopis spiders beautiful. Here's a close-up of another Dinopis it's its common position of hanging down while holding its net open.

Cute

A Jumping spider

Jumping spiders are cute, harmless and sometimes also beautifully patterned. What's not to love about them? With their big front eyes they are quick to turn around and investigate moving things, and are just as likely to jump onto them. These little guys will spend all day looking for the kinds of things you don't want in your house, like mosquitoes.

Tiny

Unidentified jumping spider

I spotted this beautiful spider, possibly another species of jumping spider, on a vine growing along a fence at the back of a terrace house. If it had half that number of legs people would be saying how cute it was. Well I still think it's cute. This little guy was smaller than my smallest finger nail.

Colourful

St Andrews Cross spider

The St Andrews Cross spider is a beautifully decorated spider and it's common and also harmless. I've seen plenty in inner city Sydney and also built-up areas Southern Queensland (that is not the limit to their range). These critters eat the things we don't like. Mosquitoes watch out.