BACKYARD BUGS, BUTTERFLIES AND BEES!

Look closely around your garden and you might be surprised at what colourful critters are residing or visiting.  

These are Cotton Harlequin bugs and they love hibiscus. The orange are females and here one has laid a LOT of eggs.

The males are smaller and perhaps even more striking as you see above.

I love blue banded bees. They make such a loud buzzing. Here one almost seems to be comparing its beak with the tomato flower. 

This honey bee has collected quite a bit of pollen from what I now class as a weed, Seaside daisy, which has gone berserk in my garden. Once you've got it, it's a hard job to get rid of it.

This is just one of a few ?house flies? that were seemingly pollinating the daisies. They don't look like hover flies which love those daisies.

A female orchard swallowtail was resting up.

 Sleepy small green banded butterfly must've slept in. It didn't fly off when I came close the other morning.

Another of the small blues, a white line-blue. 

This small and slightly tattered brown butterfly was more colourful flitting around but I was too slow to get a shot with the wings open. Some kind of skipper I think.

I present the Splendid Ochre butterfly. Quite small but cute isn't it?

BRINGING COLOUR INTO A WALK...

I'd not heard of Australia's only rainbow bee-eater before a friend kept waxing lyrical about them. So I was very excited to find some here in Maleny and later on the Coast at Toorbul. I've never managed a flying shot, which is unfortunate because to see them wheeling around in the sunlight is breathtaking.

Males have longer tail streamers...

So this would be a female...

I didn't realise I'd photographed the fly as well until I got home and after initally being annoyed I'd cut off the tail, I was pretty chuffed with the shot.

I've been told this unfortunate butterfly is a Macleays Swallowtail, although it does have yellow on it that I've not seen on a Macleays which are beautiful butterflies. I did feel sorry for it. At least it wasn't a precious bee.

I decided to do a short video to see if I could capture some flying around but when I saw the fly land on the end of the branch, I was hoping to see a snack and wasn't disappointed. They nest in burrows although I've not seen a nest yet.

ANOTHER SUNDAY WALK...

I'm continuing my Sunday walks for the paper in an effort to keep fit for an upcoming trip to Borneo and am extending the route as well.  Always lots to see, not that I'm always successful in capturing everything I see, but was very happy with this shot of a silvereye enjoying callistemon (@ bottle brush) for breakfast. 

This brown honeyeater was also having a "brush" for breakkie...

These  spangled drongos seemed to be in the middle of a singing contest...

Just recently I seem to be constantly walking into spider webs so couldn't believe I didn't stumble into this one, phew! Looks like the owner wasn't in residence at the time though.

The weir is usually alive with all sorts of critters but this morning, to my eyes and ears, it was deserted...  Across the road, the amazing nest tree from last post, was also deserted. Not one of the nests I documented was occupied. 

I wandered further into town and was treated to sighting of juvenile platypuses. I wouldn't know the difference but met up with a friend who is a bit of an expert on them and if he says it's a juvenile, I believe him. In fact, we saw 3 different ones in the creek below the infamous Woolworths store. 

 This turtle was also hanging around in the same area.  I've not spotted them there before...

These long walks in summer really are draining so I was happy to finally get the paper and start the climb up the hill home. This crested pigeon cheered me on...

 I'm surprised my heavy breathing and gasping didn't scare off the bees fighting over the magnolia at the gate but they allowed me to take a snap..

THE END IS HERE...

3 months after noticing the start (left) of an agave flower spike, the end is here, both for the spike and the plant.

Farewell Spike. You've brought me joy, through the happy buzzing of bees and insects (like this sweet native bee) and from watching various birds chow down. I'll miss you. :(

ALL ABOUT THE BIRDS AND THE BEES...

In May bees went nuts for my agave spike! Fighting with the native bees for purchase on the flowers. Top right shows you how big it is and I had to tie it back to stop it getting involved in the clothes line. But look at its sweet little face when it was just starting out (bottom right)... Thought I had a triffid for a while.

 Now at the end of June the open flowers are nearing the end of the spike and still bees fight over the flowers...

...and they have to fight off the birds as well! Spotted this juvenile blue-faced honey eater the other morning looking a bit grumpy at the constant buzzing.  His not-yet-blue facial feathers are almost a perfect match for the buds.

Then a rainbow lorikeet got in on the act yesterday. A great colour combination...

*****

I'll be sad to see the end of the spike, not only because it means the plant has died, but also because I'll miss that buzzing when I put out the washing.

Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees
And the flowers and the trees
The moon up above, and the thing called love...

Dean Martin - The Birds And The Bees Lyrics | MetroLyrics (Songwriter Herbert Newman)

SUNDAY, BUGGY SUNDAY...

Today I seemed to notice more insects than usual on my walk and in the garden (perhaps because I got stung by a wasp yesterday), but my favourite was this graphic flutterer dragonfly! I'd never seen one before but it was the fluttering that gave it away. I found him hard to photograph because it was so skittish, the slightest movement on my part and it would flutter off and because it's so small it was difficult to focus on with a background of flowers and foliage. Luckily, I was able to move slightly to put the house wall behind it. I would have loved to see it's face but alas, that would have meant trespass! I think it looks like a bi-plane... "Chocks away, Ginger!"

Not the best shot of a blue banded bee, but I'll take what I can. They don't land for long on flowers (in this case some comfry), not as long as a honey bee anyway.

This pretty ladybird spent at least 2 days on the chive flowers; must not have heard the call to "fly away home". Such a tiny, shiny little bug, dulled only by the pollen. On a side note, Pam told me you can eat the chive flowers (seems logical now I know) and I munch away on them whenever I'm watering the garden.  The buds thrown in a salad would give a little garlic hit.

I think this is a hoverfly. Difficult to tell with its head shoved into a basil flower.

March fly I'm thinking, too high up to get a look at its head front on and I didn't want it landing on me anyway.

[edit 11/3/17 - Found this shot taken a few weeks ago of a March fly on the clothes line which is much sharper and shows its face!]

Naturally, the garden is alive with spiders and I will keep running into the webs around the place. Ugh, many a "spider dance" accompanied by requisite shrieking done around here. This guy is so tiny, and prickly looking.

This fellow was busy bundling up his lunch (of decaying bugs by the look) this morning. I went back later and he, and it, had gone. 

There's always something happening in the garden if you look.

It is common knowledge now that we depend on insects for our continued existence; that, without key pollinators, the human population would collapse in less than a decade. John Burnside

WHAT'S BUGGING ME LATELY...

 My love affair with bees continues.  No blue and brown banded bees to be seen lately but that's possibly because I pulled out all the comfry so none of those little blue flowers they loved so much.

 The bees have been busy pollinating my Brazilian cherry so am hopeful of lots of fruit soon.

 Found this very colourful guy in the garden the other day. Didn't make a move even though I was close to it with the camera.  I was happy to leave him because he was on a weed.

 Now this guy was at the Ginger Factory in Yandina yesterday.  His body was about 6cm long so imagine how long those front and back legs are.  The small legs at the front are bright red.  Ugh.

 I watched this wasp or hornet busily flying around from an old box to the garden wall and tracked her down inside a pipe building a mud hut.

I haven't been able to identify it either as none of the images on Google for wasp/hornets included this particular shape.  Possibly a potter wasp.

A WALK IN THE SUNSHINE...

We had quite a bit of rain last night but today the sky was blue and cloudless. I decided I'd take a walk in the Maroochy Botanic Gardens to see what I could see. It's a great spot for a picnic with many seating areas. The 82 hectare site is broken down into different areas like wetlands, sculpture gardens, moss garden with marked walks. Lots of flowers and greenery of course there. Lots of people too. Note to self, next time go much earlier and during the week if you want peace and quiet.

 Away from the screaming kids, shrieking girls and loud cricketers & golfers (next door to the gardens) I did manage a couple of snaps of birds.  In the gloom of the rainforest area they haven't turned out as well as I'd like. The first is a turtle dove of some sort which looks very different to the ones I see around home [edit Oct 2020: Older and wiser me knows it's a bar-shouldered dove and a white-browed scrub wren]. Top right is a tiny wee little bird which was leaping around in the undergrowth and generally being uncooperative (no idea what it is).  A small yellow wren or similar flitted around tantalisingly close sometimes but managed to avoid my lens. At least the  wicker whipbird sculpture sat still for me. 

Of course, there are lots and lots of sculptures scattered throughout. There's also a python which can give you a fright the first time you set eyes on it. You'll have to go see them all for yourself.

 On the left is Phaius tancarvilleae a large swamp orchid which is almost ready to flower. They are quite beautiful and well worth the trek out there to see them (in my opinion anyway). Top right is the Rusty Kurrajong and a pretty little ground cover which is probably a weed.  :) 

I think the top white flower is a geraldton wax but I could be wrong. Same shape but different colour. The bees didn't care. On the right is hardenbergia which is out everywhere in the bush at the moment.  Below are violets, on the right is the native violet which doesn't have a fragrance and I thought the one on the left was some exotic, endangered plant but apparently I was looking at the wrong label.  That's one thing I was disappointed in;  lots of plants not labelled.

MONET'S GARDEN SPLENDOUR...

A visit to Monet's Garden in Giverny was a highlight of my recent trip to France. Although I was disappointed at first, because we wouldn't be seeing the famous water lilies due to it being autumn when we arrived, the brilliant autumnal colours and endless varieties of blooms and flowering shrubs more than made up for that.

You see what I mean about the autumn colours here.  Beautifully vivid as we walked through the pond area.

In the distance you can see the Japanese bridge which featured so often in Claude Monet's paintings;  the water lilies in the foreground would look fabulous when they flower. But then again, I dare say every photo would be jam packed with those dreaded tourists then.  Even though we were there in off season, we were all tripping over each other and often ruining someone's careful composition.  I have to confess to "painting" over the top of a couple of tourists in this shot.  

Another photo of the same bridge taken from a slightly different vantage point.  I wish we'd had the time to spend hours there.  It was a trifle cold that day so perhaps it might not have been as wonderful as I think it would have been.

After the pond area we went into the vast gardens around the house.  Fantastic.  Above, through the arches down to the gate, you can see the nasturtiums (one of my favourites since childhood) which soften the path.  Not that one can walk on that walkway.  Even the chains which herded us to the allowable paths are green.  I took the liberty of putting this photo through a watercolour programme on Photoshop, mainly to amuse myself. 

This collage shows the front of the house (sans tourists - harder than you might think)  with a selection of flowers and a bird that took my fancy. The dahlias were quite spectacular despite coming to the end of their season.

Here, at the top, is a view from one of the windows, once we fought our way inside, and more of the flowers we appreciated.

Inside the house was full of interesting 'stuff' like those I present above.  I was fascinated by what I presume are shelves with faces which were situated high up either side of a door.  Could have given Mr Monet a terrible fright as he staggered up to bed I'm sure.

The kitchen, though, was quite amazing.  All those blue and white tiles and the room was huge, probably to accommodate that enormous stove.

*****

I hope you enjoyed touring the gardens with me. I have loved seeing all the photos again.  Next stop Paris, or maybe Amsterdam.  Who knows?

(above photo of the garden layout was courtesy of my travelling companion, Veronica)