Tag: blue banded bee

Let’s go for a drive

Published on by bushboy24 Comments

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #203: Local Vistas

Everyone ready. Get comfortable. Put some music on

OK, turn left out of the gate and down the road

Turn left and head down to Lilydale

Go past the Ospreys nest

Yes someone has to open the gate

and here we are at Lilydale. Want to go for a quick swim?

Back in the car we rattle over the old wooden bridge and are soon at Cangi

It is rather peaceful and a good place to grab a bit to eat

Back onto the highway and head up the Gibraltar Range

First stop is always at the Raspberry Lookout

Where we will find native wildflowers like these Paper Daisies

or other native flowers with Blue-banded Bees

and perhaps a Nobbi Lizard sun baking on the rocks

among the yellow Paper Daisies

Just a bit further up the road is Washpool National Park where the first stop is Granite Rocks

and then further into the valley and into the rainforest where the giants live

Time to head for home back down the highway

and down the road to home

Through the gate

and time for a cup of tea

Life of a Blue Ginger

Published on by bushboy26 Comments

Following on in my flower and plant series “Life of…..” Today is the the Blue Ginger flowers turn.

I have quite a number of Blue Ginger plants in the garden and some are in pots. Not an Australian native plant as I was first told, this beautiful Brazilian perennial is commonly known as Blue Ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) It is a shade lover loves the morning sun and where I have planted some, they are protected from the afternoon sun

It is a perennial plant which grows from thick, rhizomatous roots. Though known colloquially as blue ginger, it is not related to ginger plants (Zingiberaceae). It belongs instead to the Commelinaceae family of plants.

Enough of the botanical stuff, let’s get on with a few photos from around my place.

I spent time looking for some plants that showed the whole plant and I did find some that I have posted before. This post includes older photos (the larger ones) and the ones taken in Autumn this year. They are smaller as I have to reduce the amount of size in my media folders, something I didn’t think o9f until I saw the WordPress changes for the future. Thanks to Cee for letting me know about resizing my photos.

This is one group of plants at my besties old place where I have some of the these cuttings now growing at my place.

These are some of my plants

I planted this group of Blue Gingers where they don’t get much sun at all so now the flowers are looking for some sunshine. These are well over two metres tall as the roof of my shade house you can see is at least two metres tall.

The stem are also interesting. The green band are where the leaves have dropped off

The beautiful clustered flower heads are vibrant purple-blue and appear atop of spiraled, ginger-like stems of leaves, which often have purplish undersides.

I like the purple colour of the stems that hold the leaves as well. Quite often you can find a bee or other insect in the flowers.

Here are a few Stingless Native Bees feeding on the pollen

The flowers do look inviting

Even when there are some water drops and you can see right inside

No wonder Blue-banded Bees love them

Teddy Bear Bees love them too

Just an arty shot I had to include

When the flowers start to fall, it is almost time for the rest of the plant to die back for Winter. I don’t usually cut the stems back after flowering. I let the stems die back putting their nutrients back into the rhizome for late or after winter when the shoots will appear.

The flowers gradually drop leaving the stem which too will drop.

Also for Cee’s FOTD

Getting the nature blues

Published on by bushboy29 Comments

Cee’s Mid-week Madness Challenge: November Colour Blue

This is the song that came into my head when composing this post. It is a golden oldie from the 50’s

Get some perspective

Published on by bushboy34 Comments

Becky’s Square Photo Challenge: Past Squares

Don’t Think I have delved into the #PerspectiveSquare yet, so why not.

Looking at Blue Ginger Flowers with a Blue-banded Bee scrunched in for a snack

My front fence

Looking down the road from my front gate

I know, don’t play with matches

Across a misty paddock

An Australian Pelican and his reflection

One to test your eyes

Todays squares are pink

Published on by bushboy36 Comments

Becky’s Square Photo Challenge: Past Squares
Terri’s Sunday Stills: The #Pink Side of October
Cee’s FOTD

Let’s go pink with Becky, Terri and Cee. Mostly #PastSquares but has a few others as well

Re-living the past #9 – My first blues

Published on by bushboy14 Comments

Weekly Prompts – Colour Challenge Blue

Here’s a song while you cruise the blog posts

This is the first blue I posted in August 2012 – a Superb Fairy Wren in my garden

In April 2013 was a double blue – A Blue-banded Bee scrunching up inside of a Blur Ginger flower

Before flying off to the next flower needing attention

Last of the blues

Published on by bushboy19 Comments

Life in Colour July: Blue

End of the month so better get something in as I have been a bit slack with this photo challenge, sorry Jude.

Maybe I will end with a bit of blue in nature

A favourite bit purple

Published on by bushboy21 Comments

Life in Colour May: Purple

Jude want’s to know “What’s your favourite purple Picture?” Perhaps this one? A Blue-banded Bee in a Blue Ginger flower. Blue Ginger flowers vary in colour from a blue to a deep purple depending on the amount of sunlight, soils etc.