blue banded bee – bushboys world

That’s the one I want

Published on March 26, 2023 by bushboy15 Comments

Debbie’s One Word Sunday: Flight

Words of Wisdom Y23 – #3

Published on March 23, 2023 by bushboy30 Comments

Paula’s WOW – Words of Wisdom Y23 – #3

I found this quote and I had to use a recent photo of a Blue-banded Bee in my garden

“No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap.”
Carrie Snow

Wishes

Published on March 20, 2023 by bushboy27 Comments

Sunday Still: I’d #Rather Be…..

I’d rather be….
in the shade of a tree

I’d rather be….
beside the sea

I’d rather be….
drinking tea

I’d rather be….
having a corroboree

I’d rather be….
watching a bee

I’d rather be….
having a coffee

I’d rather be….
sitting in a gum tree

I’d rather be….
making whoopee

Want to be with me?

On the lookout

Published on February 17, 2023 by bushboy13 Comments

Ragtag Daily Prompt Friday: Quest

I always have called my wish list of things I would like photos of my quest. Over the years some of these quests have been resolved. Is it just a question of balance

“Between the silence of the mountains
And the crashing of the sea
There lies a land I once lived in
And she’s waiting there for me
But in the grey of the morning
My mind becomes confused
Between the dead and the sleeping
And the road that I must choose”

Onto my quests. These are the first photos of my quest subjects

A Blue Triangle Butterfly

A Blue-banded Bee

A Green Catbird

Always dress appropriately for your quest

Macro Monday – 9 January

Published on January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 by bushboy4 Comments

It is not often I find a Blue-banded Bee having a rest in the garden

Let’s go for a drive

Published on June 12, 2022 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

Getting closer in threes

Published on May 29, 2022 by bushboy24 Comments

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #201: Three of a Kind

Life of a Blue Ginger

Published on May 3, 2022 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.