The Mallacoota Endemic Garden has been established for two years now and is attracting more wildlife as the vegetation grows. The local skinks are frequenting the water features and we have noticed these Blue Flower Wasps (Austroscolia soror) buzzing around the recently planted Eucalyptus imlayensis, from the top of Mt Imlay (Balawan). We have no idea what attracts them to the Imlay Mallee in particular, but we do love these harmless metallic blue insects.
These wasps feed on the nectar of Tea trees (
species), some of which are flowering in the garden at present.
After mating female wasps burrow into the ground and paralyse Christmas Beetle larvae then lay an egg on the grub. When the egg hatches food is available for the larva.
Blue Flower Wasps are useful insects. They assist in the pollination of native plants and help control the number of Christmas Beetles that in some years will defoliate eucalypts.
The Imlay Mallee is only found on one side of Balawan near Eden and is particularly vulnerable to climate change and wildfire. We are hoping to see these small gums flowering in the next few years so that we can grow more from seed.
Featured home page image: Photo courtesy Louise Docker from sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons