ZINNIA AND BEE

Zinnias are currently in bloom in our Autumnal garden and the bees are feasting on them! They certainly provide vivid splashes of colour in th elate Summer and Autumnal garden.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

EARWIG

Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folded underneath short, rarely used forewings, hence the scientific order name, "skin wings." Some groups are tiny parasites on mammals and lack the typical pincers. Earwigs are found on all continents except Antarctica.

Earwigs are mostly nocturnal and often hide in small, moist crevices during the day, and are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and plants. Damage to foliage, flowers, and various crops is commonly blamed on earwigs, especially the common earwig Forficula auricularia (seen here). Earwigs have five moults in the year before they become adults. Many earwig species display maternal care, which is uncommon among insects. Female earwigs may care for their eggs, and even after they have hatched as nymphs will continue to watch over offspring until their second moult.

As the nymphs moult, sexual dimorphism such as differences in pincer shapes begins to show. Some earwig specimen fossils are in the extinct suborders Archidermaptera or Eodermaptera, the former dating to the Late Triassic and the latter to the Middle Jurassic. Many orders of insect have been theorised to be closely related to earwigs, though the icebugs of Notoptera are most likely.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

ORANGE STORY

Love amongst the clivias...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

BEE

Bee on flowering gum. It's Spring!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

MAGNOLIA & BEE

Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the southeastern United States, from Virginia south to central Florida, and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. Some trees have been viewed as far west as New Mexico and California. Reaching 27.5 m in height, it is a large striking evergreen tree with large dark green leaves and large white fragrant flowers. Widely cultivated around the world, over a hundred cultivars have been bred and marketed commercially. The timber is hard and heavy, and has been used commercially to make furniture, pallets, and veneer.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

HOVERFLY ON HAWKWEED

Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies, or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams.

About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described. Hoverflies are common throughout the world and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Hoverflies are harmless to most other animals, despite their mimicry of more dangerous wasps and bees, which wards off predators.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SWALLOWTAIL

Papilio anactus, the dainty swallowtail, or small citrus butterfly is a medium-sized butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is endemic to Australia. For protection against predators, this non-poisonous butterfly mimics the poisonous male Cressida cressida, another swallowtail butterfly that obtains its toxic properties through its host plant, the Dutchman's pipe.

Papilio anactus is endemic to Australia. It was originally only present in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, but due to the growing of citrus, a larval food plant of this species, in orchards, the species spread to South Australia in the late 1920s. Papilio anactus is not present on Kangaroo Island or elsewhere in Australia, as there are currently too few citrus trees. It also occurs on New Caledonia. There, it may be an introduced species or a vagrant.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

BUTTERFLY

A cabbage small white butterfly (Pieris rapae).

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

DILL FLOWERS

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World.

JEWEL BUG

Jewel Bugs (Family Scutelleridae) have broad rounded bodies with an undivided shield covering the whole abdomen. Jewel bugs get their common name from their bright colours. Jewel Bugs have the scutellum expanded to cover the whole abdomen and both pairs of wings, leading to their other common name, Shield-backed Bugs. Australian jewel bugs suck plant sap and feed on a broad range of seeds, either while they are still attached to the plant, or after they have fallen to the ground.

In Australia, some are known as Harlequin Bugs, a common name used for several other sorts of bugs elsewhere in the world. There are 25 Australian species of jewel bugs in the Family Scutelleridae. The Hibiscus Harlequin Bug, Tectocoris diophthalmus, sucks sap from hibiscus plants, bottle trees and related species. Its main foodplant is the native Beach Hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus). It is also a minor pest of cultivated cotton, a member of the hibiscus family Malvaceae, leading to its other common name, the Cotton Harlequin Bug. In our garden it was feeding on a native hibiscus bush.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

MANTIS

Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 430 genera in 15 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks. Their elongated bodies may or may not have wings, but all Mantodea have forelegs that are greatly enlarged and adapted for catching and gripping prey; their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

BUG

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

SPIDER

The Australian garden orb weaver spider (Eriophora transmarina) is a very common species of spider with many variants in size, shape, and colour across the coastal regions of the eastern states of Australia. It has a very large abdomen when well-fed and exhibits a tremendous colour-range from off-white through tan, brown to almost black. It has a roughly leaf-shaped pattern on the top of its abdomen with a complex outline that is darker than the surrounding area. There may also be several whitish spots or one or more stripes.

The spiders' cephalothoraxes (heads) and proximal (closer to the body) leg segments are usually darker, mostly reddish or reddish brown. They are able to change their colour with each moult to better match the background upon which they rest during the day. The spiders are notable for the often large and intricate webs which they weave at night. They are usually nocturnal feeders, resting head down in their webs waiting to catch flying insects. They make their sticky rounded orb webs near lights and between trees where insects are likely to fly. During the day the spider will often rest somewhere near the web, usually under a leaf or twig, or in a crevice in bark or rock.

They are commonly found around human habitation so may be found resting under eaves and in similar places. When disturbed they will retreat towards this rest area, although under imminent danger the spider will drop to the ground and "play dead". Occasionally individual spiders will remain on the web during the day, possibly when prey has not been caught for a while, but this makes them more vulnerable to predation by birds. Their bite is not dangerous to humans but may induce mild, local pain, redness, and occasionally swelling for a period of 30 minutes up to three to four hours. The female is larger than the male, having a body length of 20 - 25 mm compared with 15 - 17 mm for the males. Females may also be distinguished by a needle-like epigynum protruding in the direction of the spinnerets.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

ANT

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

LANTANA

Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) tall. Their common names are shrub verbenas or lantanas. The generic name originated in Late Latin, where it refers to the unrelated Viburnum lantana.

This is a Lantana camara in our garden, which this butterfly is finding particularly tempting. The butterfly is the Australian painted lady butterfly, Vanessa kershawi.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

ANT EYE

This is a macro 3D photograph of a greatly magnified ant eye. It was taken when I was using a confocal laser microscope quite a few years ago. The image can be viewed in 3D if you have a pair of red/green stereo glasses. Ant eyes are typical compound eyes seen in the arthropods.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

BUGS

Dindymus versicolor (Harlequin Bug) mating on Angelica seed heads: This is a species of cotton stainer bug (red bug), found in south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. In North Central districts of Victoria it is sometimes colloquially known as the "Sex Beetle". An attractive insect, up to 12 mm long with a black head and bands on the fore-wing, and orange/red elsewhere. When the wings are folded, two red triangles appear. Legs are relatively long.

These sucking insects have a reputation as a pest in the garden, damaging a wide range of plants. They are known to damage a variety of crops and ornamentals. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Agriculture) report they attack cotton, pome fruits, stone fruits, fig, grape, kurrajong, strawberry, vegetables, wisteria, dahlia and violets. In winter they find shelter in dark shady places such as under compost, timber, hedges and fence palings.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUMMER INSECTS

A selection of insects lurking in the Summer grass, tree bark, leaf and litter; creepy crawlies and tiny beasties - flying, hopping or walking...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

WATER GUM

Tristaniopsis laurina, the Water Gum or Kanooka is a tree native to Australia, where it usually grows near the eastern coastline and along the banks of streams, where the trunks and branches tend to be shaped in the direction of the current and give an indication of the flood height.

Tristaniopsis laurina has a slow rate of growth, and usually reaches a height of 4–9m. The tree is multi-branched, and may be pruned to maintain a compact shape. It can grow to be 39 m tall in native habitats. The flowers are bright yellow and have a distinctive (and to some, an unpleasant odour). They attract honeybees as well as small native species of bee. They usually come out in the late spring or early summer.

The Water Gum is cultivated as an ornamental tree by plant nurseries, for use in gardens and civic landscaping. It is popular, being easy to grow and forming a good shade tree. Many are planted as street trees, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

HONEYCOMB

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.