All posts by KathyW

Web author, programmer and developer; photographer; designer; artist and bird breeder. Interested in all of the above plus underground homes, alternative energy systems, native plants and animals, alpacas, carnivorous plants, dyers plants and organic gardening.

Butterflies

Lime Swallowtail

March 12, 2012 KathyW

This Lime or Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus subsp. sthenelus) sighting was the first specimen we’d seen in this area. A very active butterfly it was loath to sit still long, and usually kept it’s top wings fluttering ready for a quick escape.

It has a very distinctively marked body, continuing the black wing stripes down the thorax and abdomen. The inside of the wings displays a dense chequered pattern across the shoulders, and two distinctive spots on the outer margin of each hind wing – an upper one blue, often hidden by the top wing, and the lower more obvious spot a rusty orange.

Since the 100mm+ rainfall last week there has been a sudden increase in butterfly numbers and activity. The Tailed Emperors are here this year in great numbers on the figs, and are frequently seen chasing each other in pairs.

Feeding on Duranta repens Geisha Girl flowers

Distinctive blue and orange eye spots on the wings — Distinctive blue and orange spots on the wings

A chance sighting of this Lime Swallowtail was a delightful bonus. It was flitting between three of our Duranta repens ‘Geisha Girl’ bushes, feeding on the nectar alongside numerous Australian Blue Banded Bees.

Chequered shoulder pattern on the wings.

Lower orange eye spots and constantly moving upper wings. — Orange spots, constantly moving wings.

Lime or Chequered Swallowtail side profile.

The numbers and variety of wildlife that are frequenting our small plantings are increasing each year. The Lime Swallowtail apparently uses various citrus as larvae food plants, so they have a lot of variety here to choose from now. This seems to be the common thread – provide food plants (nectar) for the butterflies, and larvae food plants for the butterflies to lay their eggs on, and they will come.

Further information on the Lime or Chequered Swallowtail can be found at http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/papi/demol.html

Beetles

Fiddler Beetle

February 27, 2012 KathyW

The striking Fiddler Beetle has been a regular visitor over the past few years, ever since our flowers started blooming in our slowly establishing “garden”. Actually, it’s more of a half-garden half-weedbed, but when you refuse to use herbicides and are in the middle of a drought with water restrictions it’s hard to get competition for the weeds going.

This year however must be the Year of the Fiddler Beetle – they are here en-mass gorging themselves on the figs (click on any photo to enlarge).

The weather has been confusing for the trees – a lot of early spring rain and a dry but unusually cool summer. Some fruit trees stopped growing after the second summer cold spell, one peach even looked like it wanted to turn autumn colours – at Christmas!

The figs had a good start to their season, but after a couple of cold spells and one hot, dry and windy day many lost most if not all of their leaves and fruit development all but stopped. The remaining figs are ripening, although they are generally much smaller than usual.

This has been a bonus for the local crows, and now the Fiddler Bettles. Over-ripe fruit, dripping with nectar, and generally too small to be worth preserving are being carried off by fat, hungry crows and invaded by ants and beetles.

Fiddler Beetle — 3 different individuals

The Fiddler Beetle (Eupoecila australasiae) is named for the striking violin shaped markings on its back. It is harmless, feeding on nectar from flowering plants. It lays eggs in rotting wood or damp ground, where the grubs develop feeding on the rotting wood.

More information:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Fiddler-Beetle
http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/discovery-centre-news/2007-archive/fiddler-beetles/

Photography