Are all those photos taken in your garden?

You have a beautiful garden zoo.

Thanks Marlene.. Pic #1 the Tiger Blue Butterfly was taken at Roma Street Gardens.

All the others were taken in our garden, yes we seem to have a few different critters here.
There are many more Frogs and Snakes that come through that I miss as I don't have the camera handy
Or by time I race up the stairs to get the camera when I get back down again they are gone..

BBrrr I would absolutely freak out if I saw a snake, as harmless as they are supposed to be I still have the shudders when I see them, must be the Pom in me that cannot get used to them even though I have been an Australian longer than I have been a Pom. Your photography is absolutely superb. I just love the feathers on the parrot and you can almost see you taking the photo in the eye of the lizard and can almost feel the green fuzz on that flower that the butterfly is sitting on. Beautifully done Misty.

Thanks again Tricia.. Here is a close up of Dustys eye.

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Wow, Can I see a reflection of the photographer in his eye? Get a load of the little beetle thing close to his eye. Marvellous camera and lens

Great work Misty. The colours on the lorikeet are superb.
On the picture of the dragons eye is that a small critter near the n e corner? If so does those little critters have
littler critters on their backs to bit'em and do those littler critters.....and so ad infintum.
Pardon the plagiarism
regards chas

Yes that's my reflection in the eye Tricia I was laying on the ground taking that photo.
Dusty is only a little dragon from nose to tail about 40-45cms long.
That's my old camera I have my new one now got it last Thursday all I need now is a better Macro Lens.

Thanks Chas ..No idea what that little gold thing is that why I want a better Macro Lens.

suprised I remembered my password.
Hi Tricia.

beautiful pics Mistymorn

Thanks Heather.. How have you been...

Heather I have replied on the other post.

Misty - these photos are amazing! I have friends who believe that gardening is supposed to be about making a return on land value and property tax in the form of harvesting fruit and veg. For me, I plan my garden around wildlife.

Being on the cusp of the bush, I get my share of lorikeets, galahs and cockies. Occasionally, I see crimson and eastern rosellas and small skinks.

I want to put in a pond to attract frogs but there's an issue of space because the pool and bungalow take up a fair whack of the garden.

The only snakes we get around here are brown snakes and I'd just as well not see those in the garden.

I've planted a number of grevilleas, banksias and callistemons to draw in the nectar eating birds (though many are still immature). I've also planted some prickly bushes to provide shelter for small birds (which also need to fill out over time).

I would love to be able to photograph the type of wildlife you have in your garden - well done!

Cheers,
GW

Hi Thank You so much we live about 35kms south of Brisbane not quite half way to the Gold Coast.
Its a 3/4 acre block or 3000 m2 and I have planted assorted Native shrubs to bring the birds in.
We also have lots of bird baths around the garden that bought them in while the shrubs were growing.
I spend many hours of the early morn out in the garden trying to shoot insects, birds or any other garden critter
And many hours in the late afternoon trying to capture the delightful flower I grow.

Because of the Cane Toads here I cannot have a pond.
Though they cannot climb this 60cm high large black plastic vessel.

Blue faced Honey eater and female with the green face.

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Mary-Anne, your pond in a container has really inspired me! I talked to my wife about it with excitement this morning. It did raise some questions about mosquitoes though. Are they an issue for you? I have a bird bath and that doesn't seem to be a problem, but I was unsure if a deeper container could result in mozzie larvae. Would the birds eat them? Serge

Mosquito Capital of Australia Serge though I have never seen any larvae on the water, we have to be very careful that way and make sure all the bird baths are scrubbed out of a morning and in the warmer weather refilled a few times a day the lily pond gets topped up once a day or every two days depending on the weather or the bathing swimming the birds do

That's a potted Louisiana Iris growing in it..

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These very tiny Iris ? were in that pot of Louisiana Iris above

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And lots of native waterlily Nymphoides indica grow in there also

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I have half a dozen black 60L bins around the garden. I've used them for storage of soil and coir peat and for carting water around. I filled up three of them with water over the weekend and have left them with the lids off so that the birds can have a swim or drink.

I have a plastic bird bath which holds about 5 litres of water. I see honey-eaters using it from time to time.

I also visited a nursery on the weekend to see what kind of aquatic plants I could find. I realised I need to do a bit more research if I plan to replicate your container pond.

My wife was talking about the need for a pump in a pond. I guess you don't use a pump, but you did mention changing the water frequently. I don't think I'd be able to do daily maintenance on it. There are lots of things I'd like to do in my garden, but I'm reluctant to do anything that requires a lot of care.

Cheers,
GW

A marvelous idea..
No pump on this little pond the water stays clear, bigger fibreglass ponds would though
Try the Sunday markets you may find some cheaper water plants there.
Same here as Hubby and I heading towards the end of our 60's

Are the plants you have in your container in their own pots or have you added soil to the bottom? I imagine it would be easier to change water if you could easily lift out the plants...

Yes they are in their own pots and sitting on bricks in the water, and those pots are full of the clayiest soil I could find then I cover the top with blue metal gravel from our driveway that way the soil never floats away. Don't use potting mix as its light and it will float away.