#katikati

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#2209 - Harmonia axyridis - Asian Lady Beetle

AKA Anatis circe, Coccinella bisexnotata, Leis axyridis, Ptychanatis axyridis, Coccinella axyridis, harlequin, multivariate, southern, Japanese, pumpkin and multicoloured Asian lady beetle. Also known as the Halloween Beetle in North America, since that's roughly when that move into hoses to overwinter. When the species first arrived in the UK, it was labelled in jest as the "many-named ladybird". They weren't wrong. One of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of colour forms.

Native to eastern Asia, but artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects, and now spreading rapidly everywhere else too. One of the world's most invasive insects, outcompeting or eating native ladybeetles where it isn't already killing them with introduced diseases, and leaving unpleasant odor, stains and taste when frightened or crushed. They also bite.

Katikati Bird Garden, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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#2208 - Scolypopa australis - Passionvine Hopper

The nymphs are also called fluffybums.

Ricaniid planthoppers native to Australia, where they're a minor pest, but introduced to New Zealand, where they're a much bigger problem.

Sapsuckers on many plants, and producers of honeydew. That can be a major problem, on top of the damage they do to crops, and the plant diseases they spread, if the plant is Tutu (Coriaria arborea). Honey derived from that honeydew can contain dangerous levels of the poison tutin, and has been the cause of multiple honey poisonings in NZ over the years.

Katikati Bird Gardens, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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#2205 - Blechnum minus - Soft Water-Fern 

AKA Parablechnum minus, Blechnum capense var. minor, Lomaria minor, Lomaria procera var. minor and Lomaria procera var. paludosa. Originally named Stegania minor.

Supposedly a small fern found in moist habitat in eastern Australia and New Zealand. These ones certainly a good size, for a ground-dwelling non-tree-fern.

Katikati Bird Gardens, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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#2211 - Pseudocoremia suavis - Common Forest Looper

A Geometrid endemic to New Zealand, but in 2007 they started showing up in a garden in Cornwall as well, to everybody's surprise. It's possible they were coming from the plant nursery next door.

In New Zealand the caterpillars including southern beech (Nothofagus spp.), podocarps and kanuka (Kunzea ericoides), but they also eat European gorse (Ulex europaeus), and have defoliated exotic conifer plantations. Larvae in Cornwall were initially reared on Leyland cypress (Cupressus × leylandii) but were moved to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) when they became unhealthy. They also fed on box (Buxus sempervirens) and yew (Taxus baccata) but preferred the pine.

The rest of the genus are also NZ endemics.

Katikati Bird Garden, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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#2210 - Glaucias amyoti - New Zealand Vegetable Bug

AKA Rhaphigaster amyoti, Zangis stali, and Australasian Green Shield Bug.

A minor agricultural pest found in NZ, Australia, New Guinea, Timor and Indonesia. The adults are, as you might guess from the other common name, green.

Eggs may be parasitised by two species of tiny wasp belonging to the family Platygasteridae - Trissolcus oenone, native to New Zealand, and Trissolcus basalis released into New Zealand in 1949 to control the green vegetable bug, Nezara viridula. When this wider host range was discovered in the 1960s, it was regarded as beneficial because protection of crops was considered more important than protecting native insects.

The braconid wasp Aridelus rufotestaceus is also a parasitoid of the green vegetable bug, targeting the nymphs, but like T. basalis above has also been reared from the New Zealand Vegetable Bug.

Katikati Bird Garden, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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#2207 - Thunbergia alata - Black-eyed Susan Vine

A perennial climbing plant from East Africa, but now naturalised in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. Often invasive, and difficult to eradicate thanks to underground rhizomes.

Funnily enough, in the same family as Grey Mangroves, posted earlier.

Katikati Bird Gardens, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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#2206 - Chrysothrix candelaris - Gold Dust Lichen

AKA mustard powder lichen.

A powdery lichen usually found on dry shaded tree bark (pine, here), and sometimes on rock. It does not reproduce by spores, instead having fragments of the thallus spread by the wind, or on the feet of animals.

This lichen is widespread, and common in some parts of Europe and North America.

Katikati Bird Garden, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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#2204 - Ramalina celasti - Cartilage Lichen

AKA Palmetto Lichen in North America, but from the growth form rather than preferred substrate. Originally described as Parmelia celastri, from specimens found in South Africa, on Celastrus pyracanthus (since renamed Putterlickia pyracantha). Despite that, it has a pantropical distribution, growing on bark or wood.

In New Zealand it grows exclusively on the North Island, and has a rock-dwelling form found exclusively along the coasts, with quite different morphology to tree-dwelling specimens.

There are an estimated 240 species in the genus, which are sometimes called Strap Lichens.

Katikato Bird Garden, Bay of Plenty, NZ