Another selection of photographs taken in the garden ecosystem, beginning with a male Lasioglossum bee nectaring on the white Digger’s Speedwell. The second shot caught it just as it flew off to fresh fields and flowers new.

Shield bugs have been not uncommon,

including this spined species on the big old  hybrid correa,

with close by a batch of eggs, not long laid, possibly by the above individual.

The correa is a rich source of photographs, a mantis egg case with an arboreal cockroach nymph, Ellipsidion australis.

Damselflies find it a good place to hunt and perch, a female Blue Ringtail, Austrolestes annulosus.

Green Long-legged Flies have, like hoverflies, been in unprecedented numbers.

The Leptospermums are in flower and attracting a range of nectaring insects. An Australian Admiral, Vaness itea had been very elusive, but on this occasion was so intent on feeding that it disregarded the photographer.

The strawberry bed has also been a good photo spot with again, the green flies,

the attractive little cockroach nymphs,

and ladybirds.

And with so many insects about there are of course predators, in this case again in the strawberry bed, a lynx spider, either Oxyopes elegans, or gracilipes, the two are very difficult to tell apart in the field. Note the dark stripe on the front leg femurs, common to both.

Assassin bugs are predators that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, some are attracted to light, like this individual that came to the moth light in the garden.

Click images to enlarge.

 

 

…..grow banks of Goodenia ovata, and when the flowers are producing nectar they are a magnet for many types of insect and their predators. Bees, both native and feral, butterflies, moths, hoverflies and others, etc. etc. etc.

Some pictures from a recent excursion, firstly native bees, Exoneura and Lasioglossum species.

Exoneura sp.

Lasioglossum sp.

Butterflies were in numbers, Painted Ladies in the main, but there were also some that were much more interesting, eg. Doubleday’s or Lilac Grass-skipper, Toxidia doubledayi, family Hesperidae. The wing markings show that these are male butterflies.

Two blue species, family Lycaenidae, were nectaring, the Fringed Heath-blue, Neolucia agricola agricola, and the Common Grass-blue, Zizina labradus labradus. The larval food plants of the former are Daviesia species and D. leptophylla is common along the track.

Fringed Heath-blue.

Common Grass-blue.

Moths in the Noctuid family eg. Helicoverpa sp.were nectaring, although elusive, this small Oecophorid, Ocystola paulinella was cooperative, although pretending it wasn’t there.

A brightly coloured flying creature was followed until it landed, a leaf eating beetle.

And the predators, a robber fly with native bee prey,

And a wasp that had just dropped its wingless female.

Click images to enlarge the wonderful world of invertebrates.