@Judeet88 Both. Each successive moult changes the pattern, and the females are predominantly orange while the males are mostly blue. The first time I saw them all over the tree I assumed I was looking at multiple species, and in fact for some time entomologists thought the same, the various forms were so different, but they’re all the same bug. Here’s immature and mature forms, male and female (old shot).
#photography #art #macro #HibiscusHarlequin

Here are two photos from eight years back, of another Illawarra flame tree with Hibiscus harlequin bugs on it. As you can see, they were everywhere, but appeared to be feeding on the mature, open seed pods.
/end.

#photography #macro #insects #HibiscusHarlequin #IllawarraFlameTree #nature #Dogwalking #art #ArtMatters #AYearForArt

Hibiscus harlequin bugs, redux

Eight years ago, while walking the dog, I chanced on an Illawarra flame tree that was absolutely festooned with Hibiscus harlequin bugs (Tectocoris diophthalmus). I’d encountered single specimens before, but never in such numbers (I’ll add a couple of pix as a thread).
Since then I’ve again encountered them in ones and twos, but this morning, again while walking the dogs, I stopped to take another photo of an Illawarra seed pod I’ve been watching mature.
To my surprise, it had Hibiscus harlequin bugs on it, never before seen on this particular tree. So of course I had to go home and swap my iPhone for the D700 and macro lens, and endure the curious glances of passers-by as I perched on top of a stone bench with my tripod.
🧵 ...

#photography #macro #insects #HibiscusHarlequin #IllawarraFlameTree #nature #Dogwalking #art #ArtMatters #AYearForArt