How many species do you think you could find in your own backyard? The number will surprise you. Why not see how many you can discover during the Great Southern BioBlitz running over 4 days this October. Check out this guide to finding your own backyard species on the EC Blog.

Head over to the Epistemic Curiosity blog to see a run down of the 600+ species milestone:
https://epistemiccuriosity.blog/2022/04/03/backyard-biodiversity-600-species/

Background
As of October 2020 just over 400 species had been recorded on this suburban property. As of the end of April 2021 this has risen to 507 species from 2,315 observations.
New Additions
The new additions are mostly increases in the largest taxa already recorded. 18 new Moths, 16 Beetles, 6 Flies, 6 Spiders & 4 Wasps. Below are a few of the more interesting observations. Many have been sighted in association with an upgraded UV light setup.

• Pieris rapae (Cabbage White) - Sighted periodically but not found at rest when a camera was in hand until now. Resting on Ajuga australis.
• Hypobapta diffundens - Only a single sighting of this Moth.
• Hieromantis ephodophora - Potentially introduced to the area. Only sighted once.
• Oedemeridae sp.(False Blister Beetle) - Just the one sighting of this patterned species.
• Syllitus sp. - A Longhorn Beetle looking quite different from the other larger species I frequently see.
• Dicranolaius bellulus (Red and Blue Beetle) - Not uncommon, but the first time I've encountered it.
• Poecilohetaerus schineri - A Lauxaniid Fly with quite distinct patterning.
• Oxyopidae sp. (Lynx Spider) - Exactly which species is still up for debate, but not one I've spotted before. Found on Goodenia amplexans.
• Plebs eburnus (Eastern Bush Orbweaver) - Several spotted in webs in heavily shaded area that tends to attract Flies.
• Opisthoncus nigrofemoratus (Black-thighed Jumping Spider) - This one was found on a Rhagodia candolleana.
• Holoplatys invenusta - Another addition to the Jumping Spider collection.
• Celaenia excavata Common (Bird-dropping Spider) - Hiding in a Carnation cultivar.
• Amegilla sp. (Blue-banded Bee) - The first I've managed to record. Only sighted visiting an Eremophila maculata 'Thunder Cloud' cultivar.
• Sericophorus sp. - Likely several sightings, but sufficient photos only of this individual.
• Homalictus sp. - Only the 4th Bee species observed. This one visiting a Giant Sunflower cultivar
• Agaricus xanthodermus (Yellow Stainer) - Large fruiting event likely caused by additional watering in the area.
• Syntrichia papillosa (Marbled Screw-Moss) - On the trunk of a Lophostemon confertus in heavy shade.
• Rhabdura sp. - Sighted several times and assumed to be a juvenile of some species. Only recently realised is was a Two-pronged Bristletail, an Order I know almost nothing about.

Current Activities
Effort has been made in the last eight months to restructure the yard with the specific intent on maximising invertebrate biodiversity. All remaining lawn has been removed. Additional plant species from around Greater Adelaide region have been planted during Spring and Autumn, selected to provide a mix of vegetation heights, flowering times, flower colours and fleshy fruits. Fresh water sources at height and ground level, and scattered groundcovers (rocks, logs) have been added. A majority of the plants should be sufficient size by Spring to begin having an effect on the species in the yard, with many already attracting various species.

Animal / Plant Associations
To measure any effect of the modified environment, each plant has been given a number. Any animal species observed interacting with the plant in any way has the associated iNat observations tagged with the plant ID. As such iNat observations can be filtered to show any associations. Currently associations have primarily been chance observations, with a few intentional searches to determine suitable methods. Associations are likely to depend on variables such as time of day, season, weather and temperature, flowering and fruiting. A more formal approach will be taken from Spring 2021 once the plants are established. Some early associations include 8 species recorded on Xerochrysum bracteatum and 8 species on Eucalyptus scoparia.
Current Issues & Limitations
Choice of plant species has been restricted to species that are suited to the sandy and limestone soil. Common Heath (Epacris impresa) would make a valuable Autumn flowering addition given that Eastern Spinebills (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris) are seasonally seen and heard, but it's unlikely to fare well in the soil.
Most plant species to date are woody perennials which function as long term structure and may need several years growth before producing a significant number of flowers & fruit. Herbaceous species often favoured by Hemipterans are in limited supply. These can present difficulties for long term establishment if they are annuals that may not self seed well. These will require some trial and error. The Calostemma purpureum (Garland Lilys) have already succumbed to the Threeband and Yellow Cellar Slugs. Tuberous species may be the way to go with Bulbine bulbosa (Bulbine Lily) and Arthropodium strictum (Common Chocolate-lily) already re-sprouting, provided the slugs don't find them.
Additional watering over the dry season is likely to be the norm, so species that may respond poorly to such, for example Drosera species, are not going to be suitable.
There are only a limited number of local plant species that flower in Autumn. This may limit the opportunity for species to inhabit the yard all year round.
Lessons Learnt
Anything Can Be a Home:
While it's valuable to provide vegetation 'layers' ranging from trees to shrubs to ground covers, this alone isn't sufficient for invertebrates, many of which are ground dwelling. A temporary garden border of widely spaced old paving bricks has now become home for 10 or so species, including Ants, Earwigs, Millipedes, Centipedes, Termites, Woodlouse, Two-pronged Bristletails, and Pseudoscorpions. In one section of the yard more than half of the bricks have Nylanderia Ant nests under them. Given that anything placed on the ground eventually becomes a home to ground dwelling invertebrates, the few token rock piles and old logs placed around the yard are likely insufficient. A much larger range of scattered debris, in both exposed and shaded areas would be of benefit.
Opportunity Costs:
With only 372m² of land available, any decision on area usage has an opportunity cost. It would be easy to plant out a large area with 'butterfly attracting' species, however this would be at the expense of alternative plant species that may be of greater value to other taxa. As such the focus is on limiting the number of each plant species and focussing on plant diversity.
Degree of Utilisation:
Each square meter of the available land falls on a spectrum from entirely modified for human use to partially modified to natural state. A concrete path would represent an area entirely modified, whereas a garden with mulch, leaf littler and established plants would represent a natural state. In order to maximise biodiversity, as much area as possible is given over to a more natural state. All path areas are unmodified, covered with leaf litter and without borders.
Intrusion of Nature:
While attracting wildlife to your yard is considered to be a positive, this generally relates to 'pretty' species such as Birds and Butterflies. Returning an area to a more biodiverse state does require an increased tolerance of potentially less desirable species. A large number of House Spiders (Badumna sp.) are present with their messy webs. Their presence in numbers indicates a sufficiently large local insect population to sustain them. Redback Spiders (Latrodectus hasselti) are anecdotally increasing in number. Wolf Spider (Lycosidae sp.) burrows litter the yard. These also have a habit of finding their way indoors at night and cannot find their way out without assistance. The heavily tree-shaded area attracts Southern House Mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus) and Striped Mosquitoes (Aedes notoscriptus). These are not breeding in water sources on the property so are likely coming from the surrounding area. While they are a nuisance, they may be a valuable food source for the local Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) and New Holland Honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) that are frequently seen pulling Insects from the air.
Still "Needs ID"
The current number species observed may in fact be higher, with many invertebrates having been only identified to Family or Genus, with some stuck at Order. If you have any expertise in the following areas, your assistance with IDs in the following groups would be appreciated. Many of the observations have macro-level photos from multiple angles.

Needing ID:
Moths
Spiders
Plants
Ants
Flies
Beetles
Wasps
Bugs
Everything Else

Background
Beginning in May 2018, encounters with species on the property have been recorded, uploaded to iNat and added to a Backyard Biodiversity project. Early on, these were simply intended as additional iNat observations. Most were chance encounters. The question arose as to how many species could actually be found in a typical suburban property. Early, and admittedly ignorant, estimates were that 100 or so species were likely to be found (excluding cultivated Plants).
The first 12 months tallied only 47 species. Mostly Birds, Spiders, a few Moths and Butterflies, Flies and Beetles. Each month a few additional species were added to 90 species by Nov '19.
At this point a more active approach was taken and a UV light was used periodically at night. (Actually a 40w Black Light Fluoro Tube). In the first month this added 75 new species. Then another 59 the following month, and 33 the next. This coincided with the warm summer evenings and by April '20 the total species count had jumped to 343. The added species consisted of approximately 140 Moths, 35 Beetles, 23 Flies, 17 Bugs, 16 Wasps, 14 Spiders, 12 Ants (mostly alates), and a few from other groups.
The count has continued to tick over and as of Oct '20 sits at just over 400 species (according to the project count) from over 1,600 observations.

Current Status
To date the most represented taxa are by far the Moths with 162 species recorded, followed by Beetles at 45 species. Almost all of these have been recorded visiting the UV light after sunset.

37 species of Flies and 19 species of Wasps have been recorded with most collected on warm afternoons resting on the shade cloth walls of a patio that inadvertently functions as a large trap.

25 Bird species have been recorded. The introduced European Blackbirds and Spotted Doves live in and around the property. Local native regulars are the New Holland Honeyeaters, Silvereyes and Red Wattlebirds. Rainbow Lorikeets and Crimson Rosellas are common but tend to stay high in the trees. Seasonal visitors include Eastern Spinebills associated with specific flowering plants, Magpie-larks and Willie Wagtails. The locally endangered Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos arrive seasonally in large flocks to eat the seed from large numbers of planted Aleppo Pines. An Accipiter species has a nest nearby and breeds each year. These have been IDed as Brown Goshawks and as Collared Sparrowhawks going to show IDing these is difficult. The local Raven species (likely Little Ravens) have taken to using the birdbath to soften and break apart food, which appears to be mostly bread rolls likely collected form nearby commercial areas.

Rarer and unexpected species include a Koala in a neighbouring tree, Grey-headed Flying-Foxes feeding on fruiting Palms, Small Dingy Swallowtails breeding on a Citrus tree, Laughing Kookaburras, a Tea-tree Longhorn and an undescribed Stiletto Fly.

Analysis
The species recorded here represent not only those living on the property, but predominantly species that are visiting or passing through. For some species it can be easy to differentiate between resident and visitor. But for flying Insects it is often impossible to determine. As such the number of species recorded is only partially a function of the property, and is heavily dependent on the surrounding environment. This applies not only to the number of species, but also which taxa are present.

Given that many recorded species are not residents on the property, in order to be recorded they still need to be visiting the property. This implies a suitable enticement must be present. Were the property to consist of 750m² of concrete, the species recorded would drop almost to zero. Add a tree in the centre and various leaf eating and sap sucking Insects move in, followed by invertebrate predators and Bird species. Remove the concrete and replace with leaf litter and the ground dwelling species appear, seeds from Plant species blow in and sprout, providing further enticement for other Animal species. It's clear that the form of the property is a critical factor in the number and mix of species recorded.


Expansion
Recognising that around half the species recorded so far have been enticed to visit the property through the use of a UV light, a plan has been established to increase the species recorded through a more natural method. Namely, establishing a highly diverse range of local Plant species (from across the Greater Adelaide region) with the specific intent of maximising invertebrate biodiversity. This will be reinforced by informed use of materials to create artificial 'homes' for various taxa.

The intent here is not to 'restore' the environment. Given the suburban location, subject to constant and sudden changes, restoring a small area to a more natural state would provide little benefit. Instead the area will be artificially maintained at a higher level of biodiversity through regular and sustained human intervention.

Given the limited natural areas remaining in the suburban environment, and that those remaining frequently contain only a small selection of the Plant and Animal species they once did, the hope is this artificially biodiverse area will provide somewhat of an oasis. Not specifically for the larger fauna, but for all those small invertebrate species that are essentially unknown to the general populace and which get little consideration in such manmade environments.

Time will tell whether such changes have any measurable effect. Establishment is progressing with much of the plants expected to be sufficiently grown by Spring 2021. Observations will continue to be uploaded to iNat hopefully revealing an increase in species diversity at time progresses.

The current target is 500 species by the end of this year.


Still "Needs ID"
The current number species observed may in fact be higher, with many invertebrates having been only identified to Family or Genus, with some stuck at Order. If you have any expertise in the following areas, your assistance with IDs in the following groups would be appreciated. Many of the observations have macro-level photos from multiple angles.

Needing ID:
Moths
Spiders
Plants
Ants
Flies
Beetles
Wasps
Bugs
Everything Else

If you're interested in discovering what can be found on your own property, check out this "Backyard Biodiversity" guide.