The 6-mile show continues

I visited and blogged about the 6-mile TSR in September this year.  Since the TSR seemed to be a good spot for "donkey" orchids (ie Diuris sp) I wondered if it, like our home area, might now be graced with a lot of sun orchids.  So with the weather being favourable (hot, sunny and a touch humid) I took myself off to Hoskinstown Rd.

I did find one sun orchid plant (Thelymitra peniculata, as at home) but the flower was pretty much closed.  However there were several other goodies to exercise my SD card!

The main attraction was the swathes of flowers of various kinds.  I think this was despite, rather than because of, the very dry conditions.

The first image is of Xerochrysum viscosum: a very attractuive 'everlasting as one plant but quite stunning when there are a a lot of them.
 Next we have some Leucochrysum albicans mixed in with Craspedia sp.
 Some more L. albicans - in this example accompanied by Wahlenbergia sp.
Quite a number of the plants had interesting shaped insects visiting them.  As usual I do a lot better on identifying the plants than the invertebrates.  There will hopefully be updates with names of the animals - until them enjoy the pictures.

Podolepis with a Beetle!
 The flower is a Leucochrysum.  WRT the insect, following a comment (see below) from my bogging friend Denis I pursued this with Roger Farrow, an expert entomologist.  He advised that  "Its an assassin bug Reduviidae,  Its a large group with no available key to identification.  Could be in the sub family Harpactorinae."
 Two insects (bees?) making whoopie in a Wahlenbergia.

Comments

Denis Wilson said…
Hi Martin
Your insect on the white and yellow centered daisy (Leucochrysum) might be an Assassin Bug. It is not a beetle - as it has soft wings visible, and different antennae to the Beetle preceding it.
Assassin Bugs are insect predators, not pollen eaters, but it might have been waiting for a Beetle to come along.
I had several at my front porch last weekend.
To be sure, you would have needed to get several angles, and we seldom realise that, at the time.
My encounter was aided by a spider web, which made it easy tog et the insect to rotate and show me it mouth parts, eventually.
The "rostrum" (beak) shot was "diagnostic".
Have a look at my Blog from Monday 7 Nov. Not identical with your creature, but similarities are pretty evident.
Like you, insects are not my strong suit.
11 November 2011 at 00:26:00 GMT+11
Flabmeister said…
Denis

Thanks. I think you are right. The coverage of this group on the web is not great but I did find some images of Piestolestes (?)inermis which looked very similar.

Martin
11 November 2011 at 05:31:00 GMT+11
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