authors' picksPaul WhitingtonSeptember 01, 2022gallery batch 2, batch 5

A rush into spring

authors' picksPaul WhitingtonSeptember 01, 2022gallery batch 2, batch 5

A fortnight ago the forest was just beginning to stir. The first signs of spring flowering were evident but it was a relatively modest display.

This has now suddenly changed. A score or more of different types of plants is now in full bloom, filling the forest with colour. And the insects are back!

The flowers

Having recorded flowering times of individual species across the years, it is clear that there is a stereotypic flowering sequence. For example, Pink Beard-heath (Styphelia ericoides) always blooms before its close relative Lance Beard-heath (Leucopogon affinis). Each plant probably responds to a particular combination of day length and temperature.

Certain species have flowered much more strongly this year than previously. The reasons for this are likely many and varied.

Lance Beard-heath bushes resprouted from burnt stumps after the January 2020 fire. They have now regrown to a mature size and show the same level of flowering typically seen before the fire.

Other bushes, such as Pink Beard-heath and Lesser Guinea Flower (Hibbertia calycina), regrew from seed after the fire. There are now many more individual plants of these species than before the fire – they are typical ‘fire-responders’ – and all of these plants have flowered strongly.

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ERICACEAE

Epacris impressa (Common Heath) put on an impressive flowering display from early May but this has now waned.

ERICACEAE

Epacris impressa comes in a range of colours - all the same species though.

ERICACEAE

Epacris impressa provided a welcome source of nectar for Eastern Spinebills over the winter.

ERICACEAE

Styphelia ericoides (Pink Beard-heath) belongs to the same family as Epacris impressa. The first flowers opened in mid July, but most plants looked like this at that time - with their pink closed buds.

ERICACEAE

By mid August most Styphelia ericoides flowers had opened, displaying their bearded corolla tips. They are an absolute bee magnet.

ERICACEAE

Leucopogon affinis (Lance Beard-heath) began to open a week or two after Styphelia ericoides. It has similar shaped flowers which are also visited by a host of insects.

ERICACEAE

ORCHIDACEAE

Caladenia catenata (White Fingers) - our second orchid for the season appeared a week ago.

ORCHIDACEAE

VIOLACEAE

Viola hederacea (Ivy-leaf Violet) covers large patches of the forest floor.

VIOLACEAE

FABACEAE

Bossiaea cordifolia (Showy Bossiaea) has been flowering since early August - the first of a suite of forest plants in the family Fabaceae (peas/legumes) to bloom.

FABACEAE

Pultenaea linophylla, a similar looking yellow and red pea to Bossiaea, began flowering just a couple of days ago.

FABACEAE

Daviesia ulicifolia (Gorse Bitter Pea), like many peas with yellow and red/brown flowers, is often called an “egg and bacon” plant. It grows as a spiky, low bush. Handle with care!

FABACEAE

Hardenbergia violacea (Purple Coral-pea) has been flowering for a couple of weeks. It is a climber, twining around the stems of other plants - including the trunks of fire-killed wattles and casuarinas.

FABACEAE

Hovea heterophylla (Common Hovea) began to bloom a week ago. It generally grows as a low, straggling shrub.

FABACEAE

Glycine clandestine (Twining Glycine) is another climbing pea, seen here twining around a Banksia leaf. Its flower is much smaller than our other Fabaceae.

FABACEAE

PITTOSPORACEAE

The white flowers of Rhytidosporum procumbens (White Marianth), a low growing herb, have appeared in many spots in the forest over the past week.

PITTOSPORACEAE

DROSERACEAE

Drosera auriculata (Tall Sundew) is beginning to flower. A rapidly growing population of small insects provides nutrition for these carnivorous plants.

DROSERACEAE

THYMELAEACEAE

By far the most dominant plant in the forest undergrowth is Pimelea linifolia linifolia. Its common name Queen of the Bush is very appropriate! This species began flowering in early autumn and is still going strong.

THYMELAEACEAE

ELAEOCARPACEAE

Tetratheca pilosa latifolia (Pink-Bells) is found in open areas of the forest and has just begun to bloom.

ELAEOCARPACEAE

LOGANIACEAE

A new plant for our home list! We first sighted Logania albiflora (Narrow-leaf Logania) just a few days ago, growing in a rocky area just above the banks of the river. While widespread, it is apparently uncommon.

LOGANIACEAE

RUTACEAE

Zieria smithii (Sandfly Zieria) is another low bush growing on the banks of the river.

RUTACEAE

DILLENIACEAE

Hibbertia calycina (Lesser Guinea Flower), one of several Hibbertia species found in our forest, is clearly a fire responder. We have seen many more plants this year than before the Jan 2020 Border Fire. It began flowering 3 weeks ago.

DILLENIACEAE

Hibbertia aspera aspera (Rough Guinea Flower) is a widespread low shrub in the forest.

DILLENIACEAE

Hibbertia dentata (Twining Guinea Flower) grows as a vine along the forest floor or up the stems of other plants. It began flowering about 3 weeks ago.

DILLENIACEAE

ASPHODELACEAE

Stypandra glauca (Nodding Blue Lily) grows profusely on the banks of the river and has been flowering for at least a week. It is another fire responder, as just a few plants were present before the Jan 2020 fire.

ASPHODELACEAE

CELASTRACEAE

Stackhousia monogyna (Creamy Candles) is a widespread forb in open areas of the forest. Its flowers have just begun to open.

CELASTRACEAE

ASTERACEAE

Some of the flowers of Coronidium elatum (Tall Everlasting) plants have now opened fully.

ASTERACEAE

The insects and spiders

In parallel with this burst of flowering activity, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of insects in the forest.

Two weeks ago, the only insects to be seen were honey bees and small clouds of hovering midges. Now, a host of native bees and flies crowd around the early spring flowers, searching for a feed of nectar. The bee maven (aka Kerri) has given a detailed account of the interplay between these insects and the flowers.

The following photo gallery illustrates some of the other insects (and two spiders) we’ve seen in the forest in recent days. Flies and wasps are particularly well represented.

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The perfect segue! A Red-tipped Crab Spider (Sidymella rubrosignata) nicely camouflaged at the top of a Stackhousia flower. The flower attracts the insects, the spider eats them.

March flies (family Tabanidae) like this Scaptia sp. enjoy a feed of nectar.

Scaptia also enjoys a feed of human blood. This one is attempting to gain access to Kerri’s toes.

The Pimelea flowers attract other flies such as this Tangle-veined Fly (family Nemestrinidae). I reckon this one is Trichophthalma laetilinea.

While they superficially resemble March flies, Tangle-veined flies don’t share their blood-sucking habits. They just feed on nectar.

Our first butterfly for the Spring! Sighted just 2 days ago, this Bright Copper (Paralucia aurifer) is another fan of Pimelea flowers.

Our second butterfly for the spring - a Varied Dusky-Blue (Erina hyacinthina). This one is taking nectar from Bossiaea cordifolia.

Hover Flies, like this Common Halfband (Melangyna viridiceps) are a common visitor to the spring flowers. They are important pollinators.

This wasp (family Braconidae) was not feeding at this Pimelea flower. It lacks the long proboscis needed to extract the nectar. It was probably just resting here.

We usually see braconid wasps flying around looking for a caterpillar or other insect larva to parasitise. They inject eggs into the host using an ovipositor, which is seen projecting from the end of the abdomen.

Flower Wasps (subfamily Thynninae) definitely do take nectar from flowers - or at least the male does. A male is seen here carrying a flightless female. Confused? Kerri has given the FULL story about these wasps in a blog post. Click HERE to read it.

Another view of a male Flower Wasp with his coupled mate. Everyday we see more and more of these wasps.

A wasp from a different family - Ichneumonidae

Stuff is happening down at ground level as well. This insect Paratettix argillaceus belongs to the family Tetrigidae. While it looks like a grasshopper, it is only distantly related to them. I’ve seen only one species in our forest but it comes in a range of colours and patterns. Click HERE to see them.

This is a true grasshopper, family Acrididae - perhaps Rhitzala modesta. It is a young nymph, which may have hatched from the egg quite recently.

Beetles are reappearing. This one Lemodes coccinea belongs to the family Anthicidae, Ant-like Flower Beetles.

We’ve seen moths fluttering around the forest floor for some days. We found this one, Anthela acuta on a window sill. It belongs to the family Anthelidae.

I found this cossid moth Culama suffusca on the house wall on the same night (August 29th) we ran a lightsheet. I scored 21 different moth species on that night. So they’re back!

This wolf spider Venatrix mckayi was seen scrambling around on the forest floor.

Paul Whitington