#folly pool

As one of the events for the BioBlitz, the Waterbird Conservation Group gave us access to a small wetland reserve that I'd never known was even there, despite driving past it on the adjacent freeway hundreds of times a year. This was one of the species observed.

Widespread but tiny Braconid wasps that lay their eggs inside aphids. The unfortunate aphid becomes a swollen yellow or tan mummy by the time the wasp larva finishes it off, and pupates inside the dead, hollowed out host.

Unsurprisingly, the 17 or so species are important biological pest controls in crops, greenhouses, urban areas and home gardens.

AKA hollow-stemmed asphodel, onion-leafed asphodel, and pink asphodel. The binomial is a combo of Greek and Latin again - a- ‘without’ and sphallo ‘to supplant’, possibly meaning the beautiful flowers are not easily surpassed, and the Latin fistula for ‘pipe’, referring to the leaves.

Like the Trachyandra previously, native to the Mediterranean region (as well as the Arabian Peninsula, Transcaucasus, and Madeira) and a noxious weed where-ever it finds the climate to its liking - the drier parts of the US and Mexico, and parts of Australia and New Zealand.

in the Noongar language pungura, boongura or gwangia, but AKA swamp oak, river banksia, seaside banksia and the western swamp banksia.

Endemic to the SW of Australia, growing around coasal wetlands and seasonally wet areas in high moisture peaty to sandy soils.

One of the natives planted around Folly Pool by the Waterbird Conservation Council, and apparently thriving. Not flowering yet though. The inflorescences are yellow, and the cones unremarkable for a Banksia.

photo by kezzza4 on iNaturalist.

Fully grown trees may be 12m tall.

A Cosmopolitan genus of Assassin Bug, with at least 130 species. This one is still a juvenile, judging by the wing buds.

AKA  colaille, gooloorto, koolert and moitch.

Described in 1837 by Austrian botanist, coin expert and Sinologist Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher, based on specimens collected by Austrian nobleman, army officer, diplomat, botanist, and explorer Charles von Hügel. Hügel introduced many plants and flowers from New Holland (Australia) to Europe's public gardens.

A medium-sized eucalypt, endemic to the Perth area, commonly found in coastal wetlands and along watercourses, and rarely on granite rock. Spring foliage is very often infested with leaf miners, leaf blister sawflies like Phylacteophaga froggatti from the East Coast, and lerps.

North of Perth it hybridises with the River Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis var. obtusa.

A genus of Snout Mite, most often reported from North America and Europe, but found elsewhere as well. Like other Bdellids, predatory on other small invertebrates.