Jewelry

First up - thanks everyone so much for your good wishes, comments, (some of which made me emotional), stars and hearts for my 500th blip yesterday. You are all so very kind!!

This afternoon the weather cleared up, the clouds scattered, the sun came out and we went up to the Park.

I've never seen anything like it before - so many butterflies. All Common Browns, and all trying to find a mate. There must have been hundreds. I got a few images, but I blipped one only the other day, so I went looking for something different. I was desperate to see a Xenica (which are supposed to fly with the Browns, but I didn't see a single one).

This little chappie is a Red Jewel Bug - (Choerocoris paganus). About twice the size of the hibiscus harlequin bug found in Queensland and northern New South Wales. This one is an Australian native and feeds on mainly on the seeds of the hop bush (Dodonaea spp.)

Not too ugly