With Circus of the Spineless coming up I thought I’d better try and get something to contribute, so wandered around the garden with the camera. I hadn’t gone far before I spotted two colonies of Common Jassids on one of the White Brittle Gums. I’ve always thought these insects very intriguing, the way they cluster together in happy harmony. They feed on the sap of the eucalypts, and secrete copious amounts of honeydew that acts like a magnet for the sugar ants that can always be found near them, waiting to collect the bounty. If infestations are severe the eucs can suffer from their sap sucking, and the honeydew can cause outbreaks of sooty mould, but I’ve never noticed any ill effects in our garden. They are quite attractive insects with their shiny metallic colouration, and they’re also a food source for birds, tree climbing lizards, and other insect species. Click to enlarge.
Hi Duncan,
I had lunch today with a bird I cannot recognise, at Cranbourne.
Can you help??? It is at
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1235/936724513_3ccf34011d_o.jpg
and is wren-sized, and a vivid olive green in flight.
Thanks!
Linda
Linda, that bird is the Eastern Yellow Robin.
Thanks Duncan. Not one I have met before. I should look at more birds!
Linda
Those little bugs are just gorgeous. Sort of remind me a bit of the bark lice that I recently blogged about as it looks like they travel around in small “herds”.
The metallic colouration is quite striking Bev, the association with the sugar ants is interesting too.