Eyes

I was back and forth past this little guy for about an hour today. Little bugger stood out like a sore thumb, being dark brown against the green shade cloth. He was about 5cm in length and wings are very small, so Im willing to guess he has a few more molts to go before its fully grown. The thing I find most fascinating about Praying Mantis at present is their eyes. Their two compound eyes on top of their head allow them have binocular vision. This is the kind of vision that humans have, both eyes focus on a single object giving a slightly different angle of the object. The brain puts the two images together which allows for excellent depth perception. So this makes Praying Mantis excellent hunters.

Inner Child

Joys of working next to a playground. You occasionally find a rogue balloon. I'm glad to see my inner child is alive and well, as this usually brightens my day immensely.

Spider Webs and Fur

I do apologise for the photos but I was rushed to take them. In the picture is a little Willy Wag Tail nest. The top one has the bird on the nest, even though you have to look really closely at the fork at the end of the branch in the center of the tree. The bottom photo is just of the nest. You can see the little grey cup shape next to the fork in the branch. I tried to be as quick as I could, I dont like disturbing birds while they are nesting, and I didnt even realise the nest was there until the Willy Wag Tail started chattering at me.

Willy wag tails make their nests out of grasses and coat the outside with spiderwebs. They have a habit of using fur to line their nest, and have been known to take it directly from the animal itself in pasture situations. If fur is not available, then soft grasses will do the job. The male willy wag tail is just as devoted as the female to parenting. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks when they hatch.

Bwaaaar Bwaaaar Groh Groh

We had to move this little Motorbike Frog today, from the skate park. He was nestled away in a corner of the paving and unfortunately we had to blow the area down. So I shifted him over to the large hedge where there is lots of room for him to hide. I was actually surprised by how little he protested when I had to move him. He virtually crawled into my hand and sat there in his ."You cant see me" pose of being as small and flat as possible.  Normally they jump about and get really slimy. I guess the cold weather must be getting to him too.

Motorbike Frogs are the most common frog in the South West of Western Australia. They are usually the first to colonize and breed in backyard ponds. Their colours vary from bright green with gold splodges after basking in the sun, to the darker fawns and browns with green splodges when it gets cool. They are one of my favourite frogs, and this little guy brightened my day so very much.

Stunning

The colours of the Ranunculus at work are far too beautiful not to share. Arent they stunning? I also found out, the common name for Ranunculus is a Buttercup. You learn something new every day 

Melting

We use wheelie bins alot at work. Not only for putting in the bin cages around the park, but for various gardening jobs when it is impractical to stick a small load onto the ute, or when we simply cant get the ute close enough to the rubbish. On all wheelie bins, there is usually some pretty clear instructions along the lines of "No Hot Ashes Or Liquids". Seems pretty simple. Bins are made of plastic and plastic usually doesnt like high temperatures. The poor wheelie bin in the picture is the result of a pile of hot ashes being dumped inside it. It didnt melt through right away, however when the rubbish truck emptied the bid, the entire base of the bin fell through. So, this bin gets to retire early from the work force, Wicked Witch of the West style .... Im Melting, Melting .....

Naming An Arrow

A wonderful friend of mine sent me a few books on different types of fungi that grow in the South West of Western Australia. So, for the first time, I am able to tell you what you are looking at other then broadly saying that it is a fungi and that I find it fascinating. 

So, without further ado, this fungi is a Black Morel (Morchella elata). There are apparently several species of them in WA, but Black Morel is the only one found in the South West. I found this guy growing in amongst the Lemon and Lime beds. I spotted it while doing the rubbish run and thought it was some rotten food someone had thrown in the bed. Turns out its quite unusual to find them growing in the city, as they prefer the country side more. If your wondering where the spores grow, they form along the ridges of the cap, which is what can give the fungi its black appearance. This one is most likely hasnt produced its spores yet, given that it is still fawn in colour.

Blow

Dandelion Clock. Make a wish and blow.

The most useful piece of information I can give you on getting rid of Dandelions is to not let them get to this stage. There is a saying amongst gardeners that goes 'One days weeding is 7 years seeding'. The numbers will vary slightly, but essentially if you can remove a weed before it flowers, then it has less chance of producing seeds which can lie dormant in the soil for years (depending on the species). So prevention is better then cure.

If your unable to beat the plant to this stage, then Dandelions have a tap root underneath those rosette leaves you see. Get the tap root out and you have eliminated the problem. If you leave most of the tap root behind, then the plant will simply regrow and continue on. So essentially, doing a half arsed job of it will not make your life easier in the long run.

Gots Me A Photo

I finally managed to get a decent picture of a butterfly. They can be skittish creatures at times. This is a Wanderer Butterfly (also known as a Monarch Butterfly). These butterflies are found in various countries around the world and are native to all areas in Australia. Interesting to note, while they can be skittish when you attempt to take a photo of the buggers, this is the species typically used for Butterfly Releases at events like weddings, christenings, funerals, etc. There are a couple of reasons for this. First they quite strong and resilient as butterflies go. Secondly they are quite grand and with their vivid orange wings, are easy to spot. Finally, although it has taken me 2 years to get a decent photo of one, they are actually fairly people friendly. So they will quite happily flutter around amongst the crowds. Also, these butterflies can live for up to 6 months. They only really disappear in the winter when it gets too cold for them. So its nice to know when you do a butterfly release for a special occasion, you are not condemning it to death once it is released into the wild. It will just look for shelter and a food source, then continue on with the grand circle of life by laying eggs and making more butterflies.

GAH!

This is a really bad infestation of Black Scale. I discovered this by fluke, as its in an area that we only need to maintain a couple of times a year and its not normally me who maintains it. Scale is a type of really small insect. It settles on the leaf and forms a protective coating over itself, then lives inside this coating feeding on the plant, sucking sap. There are several different types, this one as I mentioned is called Black Scale, for obvious reasons. Scale is a tricky bugger to kill. When infestations are this bad, its easier to just dig up the plant and toss it. Unfortunately it isnt an option in this case. If your dealing with small dose of the pest, then it is easily treated but it seems to be one of these pests that are hard to get rid of. You can try soapy water with garlic as it coats them and they cant breathe. This is occasionally successful. I find I get better results with spraying Confidor on the plant. If you are using an aerosol, please spray the plant from at least 30cm away or you will burn the leaves and kill the plant, that is why I prefer the spray bottles or mixing from concentrate. You will also find, even with small infestations of scale, you will need to do a couple of repeat applications over a couple of months to get it under control. Good luck.

Colourful Tulips

The tulips have pretty much finished at work. Unfortunately they do not last very long, but look stunning while they are out. This is the first time I have encountered a double tulip flower. For those of you not playing at home, a double flower is when a bloom has more than a single layer of petals. This is also one of the few tulips I have seen with multiple blooms to a single bulb.  As you can tell from this photo, there are 3 large blooms, and underneath the petals are a couple more buds waiting to open. If you wish to keep the bulbs for next year, make sure that they were fed with a good fertiliser just as the flower buds were forming, and when the flowers have finished cut off the dead blooms but leave the leaves. This stops the plant putting energy into forming seeds and sends the rest of its energy down into the bulb to be stored for next years growth. When the leaves are dead, you can leave the bulb to regrow next year. Please mind that you will have to dig up the bulbs within about 5 years, otherwise they may end up rotting.

A Rogue White

Lavender is a tricksy little thing. Ive known this since I studied at tafe over 10 years ago, but I have a bad habit of forgetting that not everyone knows this. Lavender is available in 3 different colours. Everyone knows about the purple, as this is the most common colour, however you can also find it in shades of mauve and white. The one in this picture self seeded in one of the parks that had been left to grow. If you are ever trying to propogate lavender, it is possible to do so by softwood cuttings. I have had very little success with this and find it easier to hunt around where a large bush is growing and you will usually find seedlings popping up their little heads this time of year.

Wont Grow A Shell

I have had this discussion more times then I thought I ever would. This is a slug. This is not a snail. This has never been, nor will it ever be a snail. Its not a bad thing not knowing this, I firmly believed this as a kid. My mum was an avid gardener so she taught me otherwise as I got older. So in all honesty it just amuses me explaining to people that slugs are not snails that have lost their shell, nor are they snails that havent yet grown their shell. They a different species to snail, but still belong to the mollusc family, hence the reason they look similar. Like a snail, they can retract their feelers or regrow them if they are cut off. The feelers are the stalks at the front of the head. The top two sense light, the bottom two sense smell. When disturbed a slug will contract its self, making it smaller, denser and much harder to pick up.

If you have slugs in the garden, the removal methods are much the same as snails. You can walk round picking them off and stomping on them. After rainfall is best for this as they are more active. You can set beer traps (old beer in containers which the slugs fall into and drown, make sure you cover over the top of the container as slugs and snails dont like to be exposed to predators). Yes, I have heard that this is a waste of perfectly good beer. Slugs and snails like the stuff, you can substitute vegemite dissolved in water, but its not as effective. Get a duck! If you can. Ducks love slugs and snails, so if you have one as a pet, let it loose every so often. Finally if you really have to put snail pellets about, buy a brand called Multiguard. Its the only one Ive found to be fairly pet friendly. Its based on an Iron compound to kill the slugs/snails, so it breaks down into fertilizer. Its not detrimental to pets, but as always sprinkle the pellets, DO NOT HEAP THEM. I know theyre pet friendly, but Im sure eating a box of the stuff cant be good for them.

Pygmy Dinos

The things you find while wandering round work can be quite rewarding. For instance while spraying the other week I came across this Pygmy Dinosaur. A rare species this, most people believe Dinosaurs to be extinct! I was stoked to finally see one in the flesh! He followed me round for a bit, but I encouraged him to stay in his natural habitat in the leaf litter. Hopefully he will find a mate, then have little pygmy dinos of his own.

Pimple Bumps

This is a common problem, particularly at this time of year. This is Lilly Pilly Gall, it is caused by a little sap sucking insect called a Psyllid. The pimple like growth is the plants reaction to the insects feeding. It is not usually detrimental to the plant and will usually just make it look really unsightly for a while. Although I have seen some pretty severe infestations where the new stem growth was becomming distorted due to the large number of psyllids. The biggest recommendation on controlling lilly pilly gall, is to plant resistant varieties. Unfortunately this can be rather impractical if you already have an established plant. White Oil and soap sprays are a way of controlling this pets but you really do have to stay on top of treatments. These are both contact treatments, meaning that if the spray doesnt make contact with the pest, it wont work. A systemic pesticide is more effective, though not as eco friendly as I would like it to be. I would recommend Confidor, as it is the less toxic of the pesticides on the market. A word of caution, DO NOT EAT THE FRUIT if you choose any chemical treatment. Please. If you are planning to eat the fruit from your lilly pilly, then use soap sprays or Beta Bug or anything like that, or you can simply not spray and put up with the bumpy leaves.

Its a Hover Fly

I spent years calling this insect a Hover Fly, as I had no idea what it was and I would commonly see it hovering around plants and flowers. I got bored one day and wanted to learn about this insect, so I typed Hover Fly into google, in hopes I might find something similar or a clue as to what its name might be. Turns out I had been calling it the correct name the whole time. It is actually called a Hover Fly. I was quite stoked by this. The adults of this species feed on pollen and nectar, so they play an important part in pollination. So although they dont transfer as much pollen as a bee would, they tend to visit more flowers then a bee therefore spreading pollen further and encouraging a more diverse gene pool. Also interesting to note, the larvae of some species of hover flies have quite a voracious appetite for aphids. Definitely keep these guys around in your garden.

Worth The Wait

It has been so hard trying to get a nice photo of the Ranunculus at work. They look quite lovely when the sun is out and the petals arent drowned in rain drops. These plants are a type of bulb, when they came in I was quite surprised as the bulbs for them kind of remind me of crows feet. Small, spikey and in little clumps. Its very different to the smooth round bulbs of tulips, daffodils and jonquils that Im used to. We planted these back in May. It seemed to take ages for them to flower and the ones that grew the best are the ones in full sun with rich soil. We planted some around the old library, unfortunately they are rather insipid looking due to the rather bland soil and dappled light from the sheoaks and eucalypts. They are a fairly thirsty plant, their name gives clues for this as Ranunculus translates to "Little Frog". They were most likely given this name for their habitat, as in the wild they grow in swamps and wetlands around the Mediterranean. As a result they love damp soil, so with all this rain no wonder theyre looking lovely.

Parentals

These little guys are Mountain Ducks, they are the largest of Australia's native duck species. These birds mate for life and return to the same nesting grounds year after year, which explains why I see them every year about this time with a brood of ducklings.  They are excellent parents, in the 2 years I have worked at the counsel I dont think Ive ever seen them lose a duckling. The way to distinguish between males and females are males have a white neck ring and a solid black head, while the females have a white ring around their eyes and bill. The male (on the rock) is rather aggressive towards other birds, and will chase away most of the other ducks from the lake while the ducklings are young. The female typically stays close to the ducklings. It is interesting to see that the ducklings arent afraid to stray a little from their parent while in the lake. Most ducklings we come across will follow their mother and never go more than 1m from her. These ducklings will quite happily swim several meters away from their parents, but will quickly group together when called. They tend to make more of a honking noise, rather then a quack like the ducks on the lake. Generally though they are pretty quiet.