The Native Garden Ecosystem #5

The Baeckea is still flowering and attracting large numbers of insects. While flies of many kinds are the most numerous, this species, Bibio imitator was very much out of the ordinary.

Wasps of several species are also nectaring, the yellow flower wasps shown in the previous post are still about although males only, the females have dropped off to lay their eggs. Bluebottles, Diamma bicolor are a common sight as they wander about in search of the mole crickets that they parasitise, but this was the first occasion the camera caught one feeding on nectar.

Lissopimpla excelsa is commonly known as the orchid dupe wasp, it is the pollinator for all five species of Cryptostylis orchids, (Wikipedia.)

Another of the many flower wasps.

All those flies make the Baeckea a happy hunting ground for this small lynx spider.

Click to enlarge.