Daylesford

This afternoon we took a drive to Daylesford. We took a walk around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens.

Parked under giant conifers at the top of the hill:

An interesting (unlabelled) artwork:

The sun was intense (not surprising, the day after the solstice), so the shady fernery was inviting:

I found this amazing dragonfly hanging out under some brilliantly coloured lilies:

This flower was a puzzle:

I have no idea what it is. Anyone recognise it? I've got pictures of the leaves as well it that would help.

None of this was the main reason for being in Daylesford. There's a clue in this ornament hanging on my Christmas tree:

This has been the year of the vaccine. The government recently brought forward the wait time for third doses; we had been due to get them at the end of January, but suddenly we were almost eligible. We made booster bookings in Ballarat on New Year's Eve, but then came the announcement that due to the various holidays we could get them before Christmas if we wanted. Hooray! We just had to find a clinic with spots available, which is how we found ourselves in Daylesford this lovely afternoon, getting doses of the cutest-sounding vaccine, Moderna's Spikevax.

Insects in Flowers

This is Pollinator Week, so here are a few insects in flowers.

 Bees busy in the pigface:

Hoverfly in a Californian poppy:

A horehound bug on lavender:

Another horehound bug on borage:

Horehound bugs, Agonoscelis rutila, are a puzzle. They are native to Australia, but according to the internet aren't found on native plants. They suck the sap of horehound, which is a non-native weed. So what did they eat before horehound arrived? Something doesn't add up. And where did they come from to be on our lavender and borage? Lavender is at least in the same family as horehound, but borage isn't. Perhaps the internet is wrong! 

Finally, some Mesembryanthemum with no visible insects:

There were some small native bees buzzing around them, but I didn't manage to get any photos of them.

Tiny Orchids and a Hoverfly

These tiny native orchids are growing on the highest point of our block.

They are easy to miss unless you look very carefully. They are just a single stem rising out of the leaf litter. The flowers are about 2cm across:

But the insects can find them!

Predator Insects

A month ago aphids had found some of our newly-planted roses. But now the predators have found the aphids:

 And the ladybirds are munching their way through the aphids:

Let's hope that within a couple of weeks we have ladybird larvae as well, as they will eat even more aphids than their parents do.

Insect Oddities

While out walking last night, I found this collection of critters crossing the road:

Probably some species of sawfly larvae. I was worried they might get run over, but on our way back they were almost to the other side of the road. No cars went past for at least the next 10 minutes so I guess they made it safely.

Today when I was pegging out some washing, this was sitting on the washing line post:

Probably the biggest fly I have ever seen. The post it is sitting on is 3cm on each side, which will give you some idea of its size:

I believe it is some species of tachinid fly (Rutilia sp). They eat nectar, and parasitise scarab beetles. Very beautiful iridescent colours, and not dangerous to humans, fortunately!