Making Me Smile in the Garden

Almost no aphids left on the maple, the lady bird larvae are everywhere, I can't wait to see a mass of red and black spots. Apparently the larvae can eat up to 350 aphids before they become a beetle.  The kids and I have been watching the larvae multiply and prosper, some seem much bigger than a ladybird. So fun following the ladybug life cycle, we're on the lookout for pupa.

We have also been visiting this critter daily. He's big and easy to find, it's a wonder he hasn't been pecked off his perch but perhaps those hairs are a put off.

 I think this is a type of native bee, I'm always excited to find them in the garden.

 I love Blue Bells, this one is in our garden, and there are many in the bush around us.

more amazing facts about ladybirds here

 

Did you know there are over 500 species of ladybird in Australia?, or that yellow stuff you get on you when holding one is called "reflex blood', its smelly and designed to deter predators ewwww!

 hope this means lots of lemons

 Silverbeet giants

   mystery lupins, what colour will the be?

 Just gave this daisy a hard prune but there is still one in full bloom , they are a hive of activity.  

My eldest cooked dinner for me tonight, she even figured out what to make which is the bit I hate.  This meant I could begin to give the garden a big overhaul - much needed after all the spring growth. There's a weed party going on around here and I didn't send out any invitations.

  

Can you hear the buzz?

So cool to see the bees tongue

Check out those pollen sacs 

They dive right in and do a full circle - very methodical gathering

 

 I wonder where they're taking it all? wish we had a hive of our own, no shortage of food here at the moment.

Bees and butterflies

Before the wet weather hit I was enjoying hunting for bugs, with my little one, in the garden.  

 Just hilarious how doused in pollen from the Pigface, these bees were, quite a party going on in those gaudy Mardi gras flowers.

There seems to be less butterflies around the garden this year, our tree sized Buddleia is normally full of action. I think Spring hit so quickly the caterpillars haven't been able to keep up. The Eastern Spinebills are having a great time in the garden - gosh they're hard to photograph, so fast and a bit too high.

This beautiful Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi) paused and let me photograph it as it basked in the sun, felt like we were watching each other.  Lay there so happily on the mulch until the little one attempted to pick it up.

We often see these butterflies around our place but I would loved to have seen a mass migration like the below report from years gone by, a sky black with butterflies, imagine that.   

"In 1889, the Australian Painted Lady was reported to migrate in such great numbers that they blackened the sky. Trains were unable to get traction because so many butterflies were resting on the tracks! Such mass migrations have not been reported for some time."

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Australian-Painted-Lady

More great facts on Painted Ladies, and how to attract them without a trip to Kings Cross, here, I do love the butterfly names.

http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/nymp/kersh.html

 

http://www.butterflygardening.net.au/PDFs/factsheets/AustralianPaintedLady.pdf

Spring has sprung part two, Hakea and bugs

Australian native bees, its such a rare joy to see these little fellows, the  bigger European honey bee has taken many of their homes. This is the earliest time of year I have seen them here.  I love it that they have no stingers.

Hover flies , my wonderful aphid eating friends 

 Fly hiding something special under those wings

 Pollination at work

A metallic blue hairy bottom! Not sure if this is the fly of the "Running around like a blue arse fly" fame, that likes to lay its eggs on sheeps bottoms. See Auslang for more details. It looked much too sexy for such lowly acts.

Green arse fly

 

 Plain old but lovely honey making European Honey bee

We planted this Hakea about five years ago and it is at its glorious best right now.  All the bugs think so too.