Cute Domino Coukoo Bee found

Posted on 08/04/2020 by
Domino Coukoo Bee - Thyreus lugubris 2 - 1 April 2020

Domino Coukoo Bee Thyreus lugubris

By: Michael Fox

Bored being stuck at home?

Explore your backyard looking for  some of the 2,000 plus species of solitary native bees, or just admire the many butterflies that have appeared since the rain.

Domino Coukoo Bee - Thyreus lugubris - 1 April 2020

 

 

I found this cute and well named Domino Coukoo Bee Thyreus lugubris at my home. This find brings the count of solitary native bees found in Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve.

 

Solitary Bee Homes - ver 5.0

Solitary native bees do not form colonies or produce honey. The females create a nest in hollows (Borders), make a nest in the ground (Burrowers) or chew a hollow in soft wood like Lantana stems (Borers).

The female bee then pack the nest with a pollen/nectar food mix then lay their eggs. In spring the next generation of bees emerge to pollinate our gardens.

Take a break to explore your garden and report your findings with the iNaturalist App on your smart phone.

 

 

 

Posted in Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Women dig in for the environment

Posted on 10/03/2020 by

20200308_160350By: Laurie Deacon

Sunday was International Women’s Day 8th March and I ran the usual Pollinator Link® bush corridor regeneration at Mount Gravatt State High School with the neighbours.

We had three wonderful young local women attend the weeding and planting. Two are mums, each with a toddler and a baby in tow.

 

 

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One dad also came to set an example for his young son.

 

 

 

 

 

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Another interesting female participant was a young lass of fourteen years, Bec Morgan who is also a School Vice Captain of Cavendish Road High Junior School and currently completing her Duke of Edinburgh Program.

 

 

 

 

 

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Marvellous local man David has been coming for eight years now 🌱🌳🐨🌳. We had apologies from a few other folks.

 

 

 

 

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So on International Women’s Day these ladies didn’t just talk … they showed us, as they gifted their precious time to our local community and the School and Nature Care. Their children do not even go to this school!

 

 

 

Feb MGSHS Koala

Last word from the School Koala … thanks to all, for your care of my home.

 

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized, Wildlife Corridor | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Order in the Chaos – Part I: Flying Cats and Triangle Slugs

Posted on 18/11/2019 by

This gallery contains 16 photos.

Originally posted on Mildly Extreme:
After my adrenaline-pumping rock climbing fiasco, it’s time for a complete change of pace. Sit back, relax, and let me take you on a little journey into the wild. Unlike the unfortunate experience of Christopher…

Gallery | Leave a comment

Get with the Buzz at Elorac Place

Posted on 11/11/2019 by

By: Michael Fox

The Pollinator Link® team was proud to be invited to be part of the Health and Wellbeing Expo organised by the Elorac Place Community Centre in Ellen Grove.

It was a pleasure to experience the community spirit created by the Centre team including Tania Kelsey, the energetic Community Capacity Coordinator.

Our newest Pollinator Link® volunteer Andy Howe shared his passion for pollinators with the audience introducing them to our amazing solitary native bees.

Andy talking pollinators - 17 Oct 2019

Andy Howe Ecologist

Andy has recently returned from Denmark where his research was focused on pollinators using wildflowers on nature strips in urban spaces. Andy also worked with local government to design of storm water infrastructure to retain more water for the attractive wildflower nature strips.

One of Andy’s tips is to plant blue, yellow and white flowering plants. For plants that will thrive in your garden download GroNative app. Plant Local to Feed Locals will also bring more butterflies, as well as bees, to your garden. Blue Pincushion Brunonia australis is an attractive local that would typically have grown in the Ellen Grove area.

 

Guardian home - 17 Oct 2019

The Expo was also a soft launch for the Pollinator Link® Guardian scheme which aims to bring our solitary native bees back to urban habitats. The Guardian scheme is based on a similar scheme in the UK: Mason Bees UK, with formal roll-out depending on research of specifications required for local species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What’s in your garden today?

Posted on 11/11/2019 by

By: Michael Fox

Thanks to Georgia Nierfeld for great video of a Bee Hawk Moth Cephonodes kingii in her family’s Pollinator Link® front garden at Chandler.

Great Carpenter Bee -Xylocopa (Koptortosoma) aruana 2 - Chandler - Nov 2019 - Georgia

Great Carpenter Bee (female)

Georgia also found a female Great Carpenter Bee Xylocopa (Koptortosoma) aruana. Australia’s largest solitary bee the female chews a nest in soft timber such as dead limbs of a mango tree. The females (see photograph below) have glossy black abdomens and bright yellow waistcoats.

Australia has over 2,000 species solitary native bees that need specialist homes you can make.

Caper White - Belenois java - male - 11 Nov 2019

I photographed this male Caper White Belenois java butterfly this morning along the Eastern Outlook Track Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve.

Caper Whites periodically visit Brisbane in huge numbers. However, there are always some of these attractive butterflies visiting the Reserve in spring. Our National Tree Day plantings include Brush Caper Berry Capparis arborea caterpillar food plant for the Caper White so hopefully we will see butterfly population increasing.

 

 

Posted in Bushcare, Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve, Pollinator Link, Wildlife Corridor | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Proud Builders: New Homes for Solitary Bees

Posted on 07/11/2019 by

 

By: Michael Fox

 

Providing Water, Food and Shelter are the key to bringing Birds, Butterflies and Bees back to our urban habitats.

The Construction Team gathered at Downfall Creek Environment Centre to build new homes for our homeless city bees.

 

Solitary Bee Homes - ver 5.0Clearing all the bush and covering the ground with houses, roads and even lawns means that solitary native bees have a shortage of housing in our cities. Australia has over 2,000 species of solitary bees. Some, like female Leaf-cutter and Resin Bees are boarders that look for hollows where they can make a nest to fill with pollen and nectar before laying their eggs. Teddy Bear and Blue Banded Bees are burrowers that nested in ground now covered by roads. Borers, like Green Carpenter and Great Carpenter Bees, chew into soft timber to make a nest.

 

Drill Hammer Paint - 20 Oct 2019

The Bee Home kits were made from reused hardwood ply donated by Benchmark Scaffolding at Yatala. Construction skills required included pre-drilling nail holes in the hardwood, nailing the kits together and painting with eco-friendly Lanotec made with lanolin. Proud builders - 20 Oct 2019

A proud team of constructors with their new Bee Homes ready for installation.

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Gift Ideas

Posted on 06/11/2019 by

By: Michael Fox

Looking for Christmas gift ideas for others or for yourself?

Two excellent books I have read this year are Habitat by AB Bishop and Feeding the Birds at Your Table by Darryl Jones.

Habitat AB Bishop

Habitat: A practical guide to creating a wildlife-friendly Australia gardens – AB Bishop

AB Bishop, horticulturist and presenter on Gardening Australia, has produced a well written guide with easy to action information on how to bring Birds, Butterflies and Bees back to our urban habitats. Importantly this is not simply a DIY guide, AB also underpins the action steps with accessible detail of the science and terminology.

I particularly liked the Plant Directory section that started with a climate zone map followed by a beautifully presented plant guide that will inform and inspire your garden planting.GroNative card heading

If your gift is for a gardener in South East Queensland the Griffith University GroNative app. (iPhone/Google Play) will be an excellent complement to the book.

Feeding Birds at Your TableFeeding the Birds at Your Table: A Guide for Australia – Darryl Jones

Buying a gift for family or friend who loves to feed birds in their backyards?

Griffith University’s Darryl Jones book disperses many myths about feeding our Australian birds and provides practical information on feeding.

If you are feeding our 2017 Bird of the Year the Australian Magpie, drop the mince or salami junk food which are not a suitable substitute for the bird’s natural diet, even commercial pet food made for dogs and cats is a surprising better option.

iNaturalist header

Love to feed birds in your backyard? Contribute to our knowledge of birds in our urban habitats with iNaturalist app. All the data you collect will add to the knowledge base of Atlas of Living Australia.

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