Delicious, and I bet the berries were too! Wow, look at the concealment/camo she has in that first pic! You get such a lovely array of birds in your backyard shoop, so lucky! Gorgeous series!
Personally I find the plant (Duranta) to be an unattractive and somewhat boring (though popular) plant, but It clearly has some food value for the birds.
Sorry to put a dampener on things but that looks like an exotic plant to me. Hopefully, it's not an invasive species & that parrot won't be crapping seeds in natural bushland.
I'm not preaching here though - I've had one in my yard for the 8 years I've lived here and have only just removed it, as I valued the shade it was providing for that part of my garden. I'm just about to replace it with some native rainforest-y trees, but will now need to provide artificial shade for the ferns etc that were underneath it, until the trees get big enough.
I know it is a shame that Duranta is a weed but I must say it attracts all sorts to my garden , White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Brown Honeyeaters , New Holland Honeyeater, Silvereyes, even the Monarchs/ Wanderers , Autralian Painted Lady and the Cabbage White butterflies are heavily attracted to it . I even had the other week a Blue banded Bee going crazy on it. I have two Durantas in my backyard one a light lilac colour the other slighly darker. I didn't plant them they where here when we purched the place. I don't mind them I even think that they a pretty plant just such a shame that they aren't native and that they are a weed.
I have this photo as my srceen saver on my computer atm cause I am going a tad butterfly crazy with there being so many around lately.
I too have one of these trees just as you step out of the back door. Those berries are supposedly poisonous, to humans, but birds will digest it with some mud or clay... which breaks down the toxins. However, as shoop said, these trees sure are popular with the butterflies, bees and even attracts the hummingbird-like Hawk-Moths, which are very interesting insects.
Shoop, some of the butterflies I have seen around this tree include: Caper Whites, Chequered Swallowtail, Dingy Swallowtail, Blue Triangle, Common Eggfly, Lyell's Swift, Orange Dart, Greenish Darter and many other common butterflies.
I find that late summer is the time to put down the binoculars and picking up the butterfly and/or dragonfly field guide for a while... perhaps go to your favourite birding spot and look for butterflies instead, and you can still see birds as well.
OMG Brandon are you physic or are we twins?? , I just recieved these two books the other week in the post. I am just a novice ATM , especially with the dragonflies so hopefully these books will help. I like to be able to ID them when I upload them to flickr.
You get a great variety of butterflies , we here in West. Australia don't seem to have such a large variety. I am hoping to get a Spotted Jezebel next or even a Lesser Wanderer would be nice . I know this is a bird forum but I would love to see some of your photos.
Not a bad idea, shoop. Keep in mind that butterflies & their larvae are good tucker for birds. And butterflies help pollinate plants on which birds depend - & vice versa. This goes with that.
Magnificient
Dont take life too seriously, it never ends well
Delicious, and I bet the berries were too! Wow, look at the concealment/camo she has in that first pic! You get such a lovely array of birds in your backyard shoop, so lucky! Gorgeous series!
West Coast Tasmania
great shots
Great shots of the bird!
Personally I find the plant (Duranta) to be an unattractive and somewhat boring (though popular) plant, but It clearly has some food value for the birds.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
She is only having a sample, not really theft
Great pics.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Great shots - what a pretty bird - do you have many of them in your area?
Diane Canberra
Lovely photos, shoop.
Sorry to put a dampener on things but that looks like an exotic plant to me. Hopefully, it's not an invasive species & that parrot won't be crapping seeds in natural bushland.
Sorry to take your thread OT, shoop.
The shrub is Duranta repens, also known as 'Geisha Girl' - easily distinguished by the purple flowers and prolific orange berries.
It is very commonly planted, here in Brissie at least, and apparently can be somewhat invasive (e.g. http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/uploadedFiles/moretonbay/environment/vegetation/duranta.pdf)
I'm not preaching here though - I've had one in my yard for the 8 years I've lived here and have only just removed it, as I valued the shade it was providing for that part of my garden. I'm just about to replace it with some native rainforest-y trees, but will now need to provide artificial shade for the ferns etc that were underneath it, until the trees get big enough.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
I know it is a shame that Duranta is a weed but I must say it attracts all sorts to my garden , White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Brown Honeyeaters , New Holland Honeyeater, Silvereyes, even the Monarchs/ Wanderers , Autralian Painted Lady and the Cabbage White butterflies are heavily attracted to it . I even had the other week a Blue banded Bee going crazy on it. I have two Durantas in my backyard one a light lilac colour the other slighly darker. I didn't plant them they where here when we purched the place. I don't mind them I even think that they a pretty plant just such a shame that they aren't native and that they are a weed.
I have this photo as my srceen saver on my computer atm cause I am going a tad butterfly crazy with there being so many around lately.
Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.
I too have one of these trees just as you step out of the back door. Those berries are supposedly poisonous, to humans, but birds will digest it with some mud or clay... which breaks down the toxins. However, as shoop said, these trees sure are popular with the butterflies, bees and even attracts the hummingbird-like Hawk-Moths, which are very interesting insects.
Shoop, some of the butterflies I have seen around this tree include: Caper Whites, Chequered Swallowtail, Dingy Swallowtail, Blue Triangle, Common Eggfly, Lyell's Swift, Orange Dart, Greenish Darter and many other common butterflies.
Brandon (aka ihewman)
I find that late summer is the time to put down the binoculars and picking up the butterfly and/or dragonfly field guide for a while... perhaps go to your favourite birding spot and look for butterflies instead, and you can still see birds as well.
Brandon (aka ihewman)
OMG Brandon are you physic or are we twins?? , I just recieved these two books the other week in the post. I am just a novice ATM , especially with the dragonflies so hopefully these books will help. I like to be able to ID them when I upload them to flickr.
You get a great variety of butterflies , we here in West. Australia don't seem to have such a large variety. I am hoping to get a Spotted Jezebel next or even a Lesser Wanderer would be nice . I know this is a bird forum but I would love to see some of your photos.
Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.
Not a bad idea, shoop. Keep in mind that butterflies & their larvae are good tucker for birds. And butterflies help pollinate plants on which birds depend - & vice versa. This goes with that.
How beautiful Shoop. I like them lots. Thanks for sharing the book titles as well. :) Big thumbs up to ya!