Philyro laevis - Pebble crab 
Mictyris platycheles - Soldier crab 
Carcinus maenas - Common shore crab 
Ovalipes australiensis - Surf crab 
Bird List: 
Black cockatoo 
Black swan 
Brown goshawk 
Brown quail 
Brown Thornbill 
Crested tern 
Dusky robin 
European goldfinch 
Fairy wren 
Forest raven 
Grey shrike thrush 
Kookaburra 
Native hens 
Pied oyster catcher 
Pelican 
Richards Pipit 
Scarlet robin 
Sea Eagle 
Wedge-tailed eagle 
White faced heron 
Yellow throated honey eater 
Yellow wattlebird 
The Ultimate Insect Shrub 
Simon Fearn 
F or all the native gardeners and insect enthusiasts out 
there, the most amazing native plant I have 
encountered in terms of attracting nectar feeding 
insects to your garden is the dwarf form of Baeckea 
virgata. This small to medium shrub produces enormous 
quantities of nectar in dense sprays of small white 
flowers that are irresistible to any insects that feed on 
nectar. I have planted them throughout my garden and 
they do best (and attract the most insects) in a well 
drained spot that gets sun all day. The insect attracting 
power of this plant lies in its very long flowering period 
during the hottest part of the summer from January to 
April. This shrub has allowed me to observe and 
photograph a galaxy of native insects that I would 
otherwise never have seen in my suburban Riverside, 
Launceston garden including relatively rare jewel beetles 
that I have never recorded in Launceston previously. 
I have had several specimens of the jewel beetle 
Castiorina insularis visit the B. virgata in my garden in 
successive seasons. Photo: Simon Fearn 
A range of amazing native flies routinely feed on B. 
virgata /'ncluding this 20mm Tabanid in the Rutilia genus. 
Photo: Simon Fearn 
Another regular visitor is the spectacular Tabanid 
Formosa speciosa. This species parasitises the larvae of 
the green and gold stag beetle Lamprima aurata. 
Photo: Simon Fearn 
Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club 
Page 7 
BULLETIN 347 July 2012 
