Passionvine Hopper – Scolypopa australis

Pictured left – This is a native planthopper of eastern Australia. Adult hoppers are about 10mm long with mottled brown triangular wings. Nymphs (up to 5mm long) are wingless, mottled pinkish-brown, with a tuft of white waxy filaments on the end of their abdomens informally known as fluffy bums. They occur on passionfruit vines, jasmine, […]

End of life for this Cicada

Joy Yacoub-Weissflog has written:My apologies that I don’t know anything about Joy Yacoub-Weissflog but her writing was just so good I had to share it. Begin transcript: It is the end of the line for this lovely lady.She spent 17 years buried deep in the dark safety of the earth doing nothing but eating and growing […]

Rutherglen Bug & Cluster Bug

Rutherglen bug (Nysius vinitor) and Grey Cluster bug (Nysius clevelandensis) are both native species that can migrate into crops and gardens in very large numbers in favourable conditions. The adult bugs swarm sporadically when native grasses and weeds dry off and descend on crops, orchards and gardens. They attack flower heads, and feed on seeds and new-growth sap of […]

Australian Pollinator Week

6 – 14 November 2021 is Australian Pollinator Week. Our gardens need pollinators to make them flourish – they can be many things other than bees – butterflies, bugs, birds, flies and bats to name some. Bees: There are around 20,000 species of bees – only one of which is the common honeybee. They come […]

Bean Fly

The adult Bean Fly is a shiny black fly about 3.5mm long, larvae are cream with dark mouthparts and grow to 3mm long and the pupae are brown and cylindrical with rounded ends.  It is found here on the Coffs Coast due to the moist humid conditions we have. The female lays eggs in punctures […]

Assassin Bug

Assassin bugs get their name from their predatory habits. Gardeners consider them beneficial insects, because their voracious appetites for other bugs keeps pests under control.     They are also known as Bee-killers because one of their favourite prey is the honey bee – actually they will feed on any insects that they can catch! […]

Pea Moth

Ever opened a pea and found some dirty matter inside? This was most probably the work of the Pea Moth. Pea moth Cydia nigricana are hairy brown moths which seek out peas when they are in bloom and lay eggs on the young pods. The larvae burrow into the immature peas to feed.   On opening […]

Dindymus versicolor – Harlequin Bug

A CHGC member came to an outing armed with images of this rather pretty critter and wanted to know what it was – the answer….. it’s a bad guy, commonly known as Harlequin Bug, Dindymus versicolor and can really wreck havoc on succulent new growth, in this particular case, our member’s broadbeans. Sometimes these insects are […]

Glycphana Stolata – Brown Flower Beetle

Commonly known as the Brown Flower Beetle, Glycyphana stolata is a good guy in that he assist with pollination. I was deadheading my roses this morning and came across this critter on a Seduction rose, so snipped off the flower, shoved it into a plastic bag so identification could be done later. Gave this investigative duty to hubby who […]