Number thirteen in the series of the life of flowers. I have already shown the red Lilly Pilly flowers life, now it’s the white version. The scientific name is Syzygium smithii
The white Lilly Pilly bush has flowered much later than the red Lilly Pilly bush. The birds and butterflies don’t seem to be attracted to the flowers and there isn’t much bee action either as the red variety. I haven’t checked for moths or micro bats at night. There is a few little bats flying a round the verandahs at night gathering insects the house lights attract.
Like everything, the flowers start as buds in clusters
The buds open at different times so there is always fresh flowers on the bush
A flower has started to emerge. Lots of filaments burst out to greet the sun.
The flower has drooped a bit and it looks like a beetle may be going in for a snack. There are the remnants of an old flower on the leaf below the new flower
The scary gold bum ant defending the bush from the camera. The ants are busy with the Pimple Psyllid, a sap sucking insect and causes the leaves to be covered in lumps. Ants often search for honeydew, which psyllids can produce. Ladybirds, spiders, wasps and small birds quite like to feed on the Pimple Psyllid.
This is what a Pimple Psyllid affected leaf looks like
The flower buds cluster opens
You can see how the staggered flower opening works with the older flowers dying while new flowers thrive.
The final stages. Nearly all of the filaments have gone and now the plant gets ready for the next stage.
The now gone flowers receptacles, on the lower left, are beginning to forming the berries
The Lilly Pilly bush, as well as wonderful flowers, also produces colourful, edible berries. Starting pale green before turning a wonderful shade of pink.
This lilly pilly has berries about the size of small marbles. I rarely get any as the birds are quick to get them during the day and Brush-tailed Possums and Micro Bats at night.
Although lilly pilly berries are edible and they can be eaten directly from the tree, the berries are quite tart, not very tasty and have spicy clove-like undertones. Mostly they are made into jams and chutneys.
Cee’s FOTD
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