Garden sights December '15

The current weather, aided by watering, is causing an outbreak of pretty flowers in our garden.  Here are some pix, plus a few other bits and pieces.

Lets begin with some Oriental Lilies.  I photograph them every year because they are rather spectacular!  Our collection come in 3 4 colours.

Here is the biggest clump on 12 December.

Penstemons are also rather spiffy.

As are Salvias.  These have the added benefit of attracting Eastern Spinebills which come close to doing hummingbird impressions as they hover while sucking necter.

A rose by any other name would still look pretty spiffy (but probably not lead to blood shed on the streets of Verona, unless there was some pruning required).

I shall try to spell Alstromeria correctly.

Shifting into the vegie garden the spuds are beginning to flower.

And for the first time we have some gooseberries!  Not big enough to pick yet but some yum is in our future.

While photographing flowers I became aware of thornbills kicking up a ruckus.  I thought this might be them displaying annoyance at the presence of the currently disappeared Frogmouth family of a photogenic reptile of some description.  Alas no, it seemed they didn't welcome the presence of this Cockatoo, dining on Acacia dealbata seeds.

Acacia rubida seeds also came under some dietary pressure, in this case from Crimson Rosellas.

Our house provides shelter for many small skinks.  They tend to suffer from ADHD and it is very unusual for one to pose this nicely for a photo.  I think it is a Garden Skink.

I was also trying to take a photo of various butterflies, but due mainly to the warmth they were uncooperative in the matter of posing.  Finally one stopped, with wings open.  Damn: it is some form of day-flying moth.