Buzzy Beez

A frequent visitor to our gardens are the native 'blue banded' bees. They are slightly bigger and fatter than a honeybee. These bees are attracted to blue flowers. The flower featured here is a hedgehog sage.

 

 

This one (above) is sipping nectar from a mauve plectranthus flower.

Blue banded bees are capable of buzz-pollination, which is a method they use to vibrate the pollen from flowers. Industry is trialling them as pollinators for tomatoes in greenhouses.

 

It's nice to see these bees bumbling about in the garden.

Sandi x

Lovely Ladybirds

Some ladybird beetles for you today.

The first one is a 'tortoise shell', or 'netty' ladybird.

Isn't it's shell glossy - just like is has been polished.

The '28 spotted Potato Ladybird Beetle'. Sometimes an agricultural pest - as it eats potato (and other solanum species) plant leaves. I usually leave them if I see them on my potato plants. They can chew the leaves - I'll have the potaotes!

A 'Fungus-eating Ladybird beetle'.

And lastly, this unidentified one.....lovely!
You might just see one in your garden.....

Cheerio,
Sandi x

Jezabel

Look what I found yesterday - a 'common jezabel'  (Delias nigrina).

It was happy enough to sit on my hand and be photographed. 

As the name suggests, they are quite a common butterfly and are regular visitors to our garden.

 

Their caterpillars feed on mistletoes.

 

Cheeky!

(Poking it's tongue out!)

Cheers,

Sandi x

Spotlighting

Last night I did a little spotlighting. As you do......
 I could hear this guy nearby the house. They have a loud distinctive call - 'wark, wark, wark'.
 It is a 'Great Barred Frog'.
 Look at all those wonderful stripes!

Here's one I photographed previously in the daytime. These frogs are quite large.
They like to hide in the leaf mulch and are found along streams in rainforest or tall open forest.

Over in the pond garden was a 'Striped Marsh frog', laying a batch of eggs, before the temperature starts to cool down for autumn.
Quite a common frog here. They make a 'pop' or 'tok' sound. Sometimes there is an orchestra of marsh frogs in the pond.

Do you have frogs in your garden?

Cheers,
Sandi x

Got Lllegs

Mmm...what can it be?

An unusual button perhaps?

 

It's got legs!! and lots of them!

 

A millipede of course!

Don't poke this one too much with a stick - it emits a pungent smell! Phew!

Cheerio for now,

Sandi x

Dragonflies

I don't know the name of these dragonflies. They have brilliant markings.

This one looks like it is riding the flower (mexican sage). Giddyup!!

Cheers,
Sandi x

Bug on a Stick

Hi - di - ho .....and away we go,
 hang on to your sticks, bug spotters, here is the very first post.

 

This is a longicorn beetle.
 They are sometimes found on windows at night, attracted by the light. Their  larvae eat rotten wood - nature's little recyclers.

 These beetles have very very long antennae........

and a cute little face!

Cheers,
Sandi x