Another wattle that is in full flower is the Gold Dust Wattle, Acacia acinacea, and it is very popular with a range of insects. Two species of Lasioglossum bees are busy collecting pollen, Subgenus Homalictus,

and Subgenus Chilalictus.

Hoverflies are common and very numerous, but this solitary fly was much more interesting. It is a member of the Family Rhiniidae, Genus Stomorhina, and is commonly called a nose fly for obvious reasons. It is feeding hungrily on pollen.

Small Velvet Ants have been sighted walking up the red gums occasionally, and finally snapped. They are in the Family Mutillidae, Tribe Dasymutillini.

Also on the red gums and quite numerous are these Darkling Beetles, Genus Amarygmus.

And with the warmer weather, more jumpers are starting to appear, this Helpis minitibunda was wandering around on the car bonnet. The specific name means threatening, and is quite apt, as when the camera approaches too closely they will often rear up into a threatening pose, quite unafraid and ready for a rumble.

Click to enlarge.

Flat Jumping Spiders like to hang out in cracks or under loose bark, and generally have been very wary and difficult to approach to photograph. This Holoplatys species however was an exception, and was happy to potter about close to its bark flake retreat on a red gum trunk while several photos were taken.

This Emertonella species was tiny, its body being only a couple of millimetres across. The genus is in the same sub family as Euryopis umbilicata, and probably also feeds on ants.

And speaking of Euryopis, here is another shot of female and male with remains of meals, sugar ants that continually track up and down the eucs in search of nectar or sweet insect secretions.

Badumna species are very common in the trees, this is Badumna longinqua.

The Snowy River Wattle, Acacia boormanii is in full flower and attracting lots of winged insects, and there to welcome them are more than one small orb weavers.

Common on trees at the moment are Dark-winged Fungus Gnats, here is a mating pair.

Click to enlarge.