The huntsman, Alfred and a mystery plant.

We had an early morning visitor yesterday.

It was a huntsman. This one got into a bit of trouble and couldn't get out of the sink. 

We often see huntsmen sitting above our doorways or, cheeky buggers, over the shower. It can be a bit disconcerting as they sometimes jump on people. [I don't know who freaks out more when that happens.] I could be completely wrong but I've always thought of them as harmless and rather sweet. 

Here's a little excerpt from Wikipedia -

"As adults, huntsman spiders do not build webs, but hunt and forage for food: their diet consists primarily of insects and other invertebrates, and occasionally small skinks and geckos. They live in the crevices of tree bark, but will frequently wander into homes and vehicles. They are able to travel extremely fast, often using a springing jump while running, and walk on walls and even on ceilings. They also tend to exhibit a "cling" reflex if picked up, making them difficult to shake off and much more likely to bite. The females are fierce defenders of their egg sacs and young. They will generally make a threat display if provoked, but if the warning is ignored they may attack and bite." 

This little fella is okay now but will probably come back in again. They seem to like our house. 

Apparently, huntsmen feed on pests like cockroaches. The ones in our house must be real slackers.
What would summer be without a few dead cockies to greet you every morning? 

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Guess who I saw a couple of weeks back?

Alfred! He was hiding under a pot of ginger that I was moving. Thank goodness he didn't get squashed! I haven't heard him singing in ages and thought he was dead. 

Poor Alfred. We've tried introducing tadpoles into our water pots 3 times but there's been no success. Since Agatha got run over [or chewed by a street cat] about 2 years ago, he's been all alone in our yard. I would so love to get him at least one friend. 

Cushion tells me one of our neighbours up the road has frogs in his yard. I might try to ask him for some tadpoles and give it another go.

Can anyone tell me what kind of frog Alfred is? I think he may be a brown striped frog because I found this audio clip and that's what he sounds like.

By the way, I am assuming that it is a he and not a she!

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And how about this plant?

It grows like a weed and likely is one. All the dogs love it and happily graze on the leaves in the park. Since Georgia likes it so much, we grow a few patches of it in the yard for her. 

It has no particular scent. I've never seen flowers on them though there are little green bumps on the stem which could be some kind of flower. The leaves and stems are soft, furry and sticky to chew. [Yes, I've had one!]

Is this a plant your dogs like to eat?

I've been curious about both Alfred and this plant for a while so if you can help with some answers, it would be lovely :)