- Mar 30, 2018
Autumn is here- and so is Boisduval's Autumn Moth- Oenosandra boisduvalii(Family Oenosandridae, super family Noctuiodea)) Only seen during Autumn, this handsome moth rests on fly wire screens and is very happy to have close inspection and photos.
Playing dead is a tactic used by this moth to avoid predators.
Night-flying, these interesting moths come readily to light. The white ear-tufts are a give-away identification and the wings are beautifully mottled with orange and black speckles. The antennae are held back along the wing edges and are difficult to see. This moth hears through thoracic hearing organs- that is,ears in its chest!
24 cm in length, these moths are thought to feed on eucalypts. This is an all-Australian family with 8 named species. All photos taken on 29th March 2018, Carapooee West, Victoria.
- Mar 12, 2018
Next time you are out in the garden check out your flowering plants, clumps of dried grasses and old holey timber - any insects about may be native bees. Many are very small- the Reed bees and Homalictus bees may be only 3-5mm long. Blue bandeds are thumpers- nearly the size of a Honeybee but much faster.
Homalictus urbanus on dandelion flower- these bees carry the pollen internally as do many other Aussie bees
Hylaiene bee -Hylaeus honestus preparing a nest while 2 young emerge from old nests in my bee hotel
Nomia bees- Lipotriches genus roosting in a mallee gum in the front garden
Megachilid Bee- Megachile ferox on garlic chives
Orange-browed Resin Bee- Megachile aurifrons, checking out a nest site
The best buzz-pollinator in the business- Blue banded Bee-Amegilla sp. on borage
Having a spell from all that pollinating- Blue-banded Bee resting on dry grass- it hangs on with its jaws as you can see in this picture!
- Feb 23, 2018
January and February can be pretty dull in the bush; nothing much is flowering and the heat and dust make the trees and shrubs look grey and desperate.
Coming round a corner and seeing Lightwood Wattle in its full glory,beautifully perfumed, ignoring the temperature and the lack of rain is a blessed relief.
Lightwood (Acacia implexa) is a now uncommon species found on creeklines and roadsides especially on the Dalyenong/Stuart Mill Rd and around Mt Moliagul.
It provides nectar and pollen for many insects and small mammals when there is little else about.
A ready germinator and unfussy grower, it should be included in large gardens and revegetation plantings.
Two other wattles join Lightwood in a Summer flowering- Spreading Wattle (A genistifolia) and Deane’s Wattle (A. deanei ssp paucijuga).
The former is widespread but Deane’s Wattle occurs only on granitic sands- Kooyoora area and Emu.
