Burgan Wooly Scale

This scale insect, Callococcus acaciae, is endemic to Australia and is associated with plants in the Kunzea (Burgan), Leptospermum (Tea Tree) and Acacia (Wattle) families.

Scale insects feed on the sap of their host plant (and sometimes on fungi). There is an enormous variety of scale insects and of course, in a garden situation, they are considered as pests and if left uncontrolled, either naturally or by the gardener, they can devastate your favourite garden plant.

The female Burgan Woolly Scale insect has interesting morphology: it has no wings and no legs. There are glands on its back from which it exudes a stretchy-waxy substance.

These images were taken on some of the shrubs in Golden Whistler Reserve Drouin.  

Favolaschia calocera at Uralla

Since moving to West Gippsland about ten years ago, Uralla Reserve at Trafalgar has been one of my favourite places to go for fungi. From memory, Uralla was the first place where I’d seen Orange Pore Fungus at one, perhaps two sites.

It now seems to be on every second dead log, branch or stick beside the tracks in Uralla. It is also present in other West Gippsland locations.

Orange Pore looks like little orange ping-pong bats.

 Instead of gills, it has pores on the fertile underside of the cap, giving it a honeycomb appearance.

Favolaschia calocera is a saprotrophic fungus that inhabits dead wood.

Many references refer to this fungus as an imported weed-fungus from Madagascar which first appeared in New Zealand in the 1950s. Most records suggest it first appeared in Victoria in 2005. The main concern with this invasive species is that it displaces native fungi that have evolved to have beneficial symbiotic relationships with many native plants.

 

 

Pixies Parasol

Pixies Parasol, Mycena interrupta, grows on dead wood, usually hardwood species, in wet areas. It is a tiny fungus with its blue cap sometimes measuring up to 15mm diameter. They usually grow in small colonies.

It is a fairly common species, often missed because of its size and is often growing on the sheltered side of a dead log or fallen branch.

Always a delight to come across. Some references suggest it is Victoria’s most photographed fungi. It could be considered a good Victorian species, as records for SA, NSW and Qld are pretty sparse.

Map credit: ala.org.au

I found this little colony in Mt Worth State Park recently while trying, and failing, to pin down a calling Lyrebird nearby.

Moon Jelly

A recent sunny autumn day enticed me to a walk along the edge of Westernport Bay at Lang Lang caravan park.

With the low tide, I was hoping for some waders but apart from Silver Gulls, there wasn’t much bird activity. There were plenty of these stranded at the high water mark however …

Moon Jelly, Aurelia aurita, is a cosmopolitan jellyfish found in most oceans around the world. It doesn’t have the long, stinging tentacles of the traditional jellyfish and the hundreds of short tentacles that line the bell margin have no effect on humans. The four horseshoe-shaped structure is its reproduction organ.

Image credit: Seattle Aquarium

The species feeds on plankton, larvae, protozoans, crustaceans, etc. and itself is preyed upon by various fish, turtles and a range of sea birds.

Interestingly, some recent research determined that Aurelia aurita is capable of life-cycle reversal or biological immortality, through a process of cell renewal called transdifferentiation, similar to that of the Immortal Jellyfish.

Huh, so much to learn!

 

White-faced Heron

The White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, is a bird photographer’s delight: they’re large, slow moving, often approachable and frequently in contrast with their background. Many bird watchers describe them as elegant or smart-looking.

Their slow, bouncy flight with trailing yellow legs is diagnostic. White-faced Herons make a gravelly, croaking call.

The White-faced Heron is widespread and occupies a variety of habitats including wetlands, mudflats, dams in paddocks, saltmarsh, urban parks, backyard fish ponds, etc. It searches for its prey of fish, frogs, crustaceans, insects, etc. by standing still and watching, wading slowly or foot raking.

Egretta novaehollandiae  builds a stick nest high in a tree, usually near a water body. In the breeding season, nuptial plumage on the head, neck and back becomes very obvious.

 

Whistling Kite

The Whistling Kite, Haliastur sphenurus, is sometimes thought of as a scruffy-looking, small eagle. It is most recognisable by its large white ‘M’ (or ‘W’) underwing marking seen in flight or its diagnostic call consisting of a down-slurred whistle followed by 3 or 4 ascending short notes.

Males and females have similar plumage but the female is often 20% larger than her male partner. Pairs are thought to mate for life. They build a large stick platform-nest in a tall tree, sometimes in close proximity to other whistlers.

Whistling Kites are considered sedentary with a a little nomadism at times. They are commonly seen in central and east Gippsland and around Port Phillip Bay but not so common here in West Gippsland. It was a surprise (to me) to tick one in the vicinity of the Drouin Waste Water Treatment Plant in Settlement Rd during a recent bird survey.

For a bird their size, Whistling Kites can often be seen soaring and gliding gracefully as they ride thermals or circle in search of prey. They like to take live mammals (rabbits and rodents, etc.) fish, other birds, insects, etc. but are known to also dine on carrion at times.

 

Blue-chequered Cuckoo Bee

Just as the familiar cuckoo birds (Fantailed Cuckoo, Shining bronze Cuckoo…) are brood parasites, there is a large family of bees that lay their eggs in the nests of other bees.

The Blue-chequered Cuckoo Bee, Thyreus caeruleopunctatus, parasitizes the nest of the Blue-banded Bee. ‘Thyreus’ in ancient Greek is ‘porter’, ‘caeruleus’ and ‘punctatus’ are Latin for ‘blue’ and ‘spotted’. It is a native, solitary bee.

The Thyreus family of bees is sometimes referred to as ‘cloak and dagger bees’, presumably for their deceptive behaviour.

The beautiful garden at Vue, Jindivick, was a buzz with these beauties on a recent visit.

Other links to explore this fascinating invertebrate:

iNaturalist: Blue-spotted Cloak and Dagger Bee

Bayside City Council: Bayside Native of the Day – Blue-chequered Cuckoo Bee.