The seasonal transformation begins in August, and with each passing week we welcome arrivals. Here is a compilation of my favourite sightings from the past two months.

One small patch of sandy ground, so many ground-nesting insects! Seven species of crabronid, three bees, velvet ants … and more.

The return of the bees, forecast for late August, has been quite dramatic this year. Just a week ago, I couldn’t find a single native bee. Now the Leucopogon flowers are alive with a variety of native species.

Podagritus is a genus in the family Crabronidae. It’s a wasp I’ve never seen before and their nesting behaviour has been fascinating me for weeks.

Flower wasps, Thynninae, are an important part of the forest ecosystem – it was time for me to learn more about them.

Many different types of insects land on the convenient flat surfaces of the tea-tree flower in search of nectar and pollen

Different bees use different strategies when it comes to tackling a pea flower.

Butterfly eggs aren’t the only target for wasp parasites - Lacewings can suffer the same fate

An ingenious mode of parasitism employed by a tiny wasp - lay your egg inside someone else's egg!

A brief return to the ongoing challenge of getting to know our native bees.

The few glimpses we get of life below ground is a reminder of how much is taking place beneath our feet.

An update on my quest to get to know our local bees.

After watching native bees feeding on Persoonia flowers, I work my way to a better understanding of who they are and what they are doing.

The mating strategy of flower wasps is really quite bizarre. 

Congregations of burrowing wasps are distracting me from my pursuit of native bees ... for now, at least.

Nectar and pollen attracts a wealth of insect life

Early attempts to become acquainted with the local bee fauna

A few of the insects attracting our attention this week.

Insects flood in for a feast, as flowering of Beard-heath reaches a climax