Bees, Butterflies, Blossoms and a Beautiful Autumn

My mum has come to my place for some rest and recuperation. Autumn at our home can be bitterly cold, wet and windy, but not this April. Mum is (and we are) being treated to stunning, still, crisp Autumn days, sparkling with sunshine. Our little home is bursting with produce, flowers, bees and butterflies.

  

 

Butterflies are abundant, feasting on flowers.

 

Common Grass Blue and Yellow Barred Dart on Seaside Daisies.

  The Common Grass Blue

 Meadow Argus Junonia villida calybe 

 Blue Salvia

Our neighbours cat lays in our driveway, sprawled, as if he owns our house. He gave mum a claw and bite, which was not a generous welcome. Usually he is quite lovely company, although I always worry that he is hunting something he shouldn't be.

 Straw Flowers are wonderful to crinkle and crunch. I have to restrain the little Bowerbird from picking them all. We scattered the seeds of these, and then 5 minutes later they were moving around as if they had a mind of their own.  On closer inspection tiny ants were gathering them all up to take back to their nest.

A rainbow of tomatoes are  filling  swamping our house with tomato sauce, chutney and salad.  Mum kindly suggested perhaps a few less tomato plants next year.

A peculiar fungus that began its life looking a little like dogs vomit, then scattered thousands of spores when I watered it.

More zuchinnis, zuchinni in last nights lasagna, and soaking in brine for chutney to send home with mum. They are covered in powdery mildew, yet still producing,

 Melons, only two, a yellow fleshed variety we were not so fond of.  Won't be saving any seeds from this one.

 Grasshoppers and slugs are munching my potato leaves, but not really doing much harm to the tubers below, I am waiting for them to flower and curl up their toes but it is taking forever.

 Native hibiscus, a wonderful unfurling as it opens.

 Petunias flowering as if it is spring, reminding me of my Nanna's garden.

The Meadow argus shows its eye spot as a decoy to predators.  Often the bird will peck off the mock eye of the butterfly, leaving it's wing damaged but allowing it's soft body to escape. When not feeling threatened the eye spot is hidden.

 Native bee - unknown species.  These beauties are forever gathering on our Crowea, I have planted a second plant in the hope to attract more.

  

The sunflowers are coming to an end, helped along by squawking white birds. 

 European honey bees

 Even the flies are sparkling this Autumn.

  

A new visitor to my garden, or at least the first time I have seen it. 

A chequered cuckoo bee.

The female Chequered Cuckoo Bee stalks the nests of the native Blue-Banded bees and will lays its eggs in their unfinished cells, this will later hatch and consume the stores of the Blue-Banded Bee. A sneaky but gorgeous visitor! 

   

 We feasted on Autumn raspberries today, fat, juicy and tasting of summer. 

So grateful for a mild Autumn, gladdening our hearts and filling our bellies with late summer produce. Grateful to have my mum here to cuddle and care for, to take garden strolls with, and very grateful that she is doing all my mending.

 http://maxabellaloves.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/52-weeks-of-grateful-simple.html