Page 14 - Tropic Magazine Issue 21

TROPIC • UP FRONT

In season

EXPLORE
Our expert guide to nature this CREATING BUZZ
December and January. Insects
These delightful Melastoma blossoms
Words Nicky Horstmann attract bees, the most noticeable of all
being the Great Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa
Summer in FNQ shouldn’t be viewed as spp.) This tropical bee can appear quite
some sort of punishment or torture to be intimidating - it is both big and loud.
endured without reward. Indeed, there With a body length of 20-25 mm and a
are many rewards and delights to be wingspan to match, this genus of bee
discovered when the temperature rises.
is hard to miss. The female is basically
black with golden hair covering her 2
face and thorax and will only sting
if seriously disturbed. Males, with
no sting in their tail, have an overall It’s the pollen collecting techniques of
these magnificent ladies that is of real
yellowy-brown furry look and are not so
frequently seen: it’s the females that do interest. They can extract pollen from
species of plants that keep this treasure
all the work. (Oops, was I supposed to
say that?) locked deep within their anther,
The name ‘Carpenter’ has been wrapping themselves around said
anthers and buzzing vigorously. The
attributed to the female’s building of
nests in soft dry stems and decaying frequency of the vibrations knocks the
pollen loose and it sprays out onto the
wood, often creating a series of tunnel-
like chambers for the protection and body of the bee. Believe it or not, this
development of the young. I suppose Carpenter Bee ‘buzz-pollination’ has
some serious agricultural implications
in a less enlightened society, this genus
of bees could really have earned the and research is ongoing in this arena.
epithet of ‘Carpentress’. Anyway, on
1 1. Blue Tongue (Melastoma malabathricum)
with the story… 2. Great Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa spp.)
I LOVE BLUE
Plants Rusty’s Markets
One such highlight in our garden is
the flowering of our native Lasiandra SMOOTH MANGO MOVES
shrub, Melastoma malabathricum or Blue The combination of the holiday
Tongue. A relative of the ever-popular season and summer is a great
Tibouchina, this plant likes to grow in reason to treat ourselves to some of
areas of forest that have been disturbed. our delicious local produce readily
The rewards this attractive shrub available at Rusty’s. As the exotic
provide are manifold. They start with tropical fruits flood in, try pairing
the beautiful pinkish purple flowers them with local dairy products from
that open on a daily basis, followed up the Mungalli shop. Start out at the
by the formation of an edible purple- simplest end of the scale by making
fleshed fruit that, when consumed, refreshing mango smoothies. All
stains the tongue blue. you essentially need is ripe mango,
Each of these features is further luscious yoghurt, ice and a blender.
enhanced by the insect and bird life You can jazz it up with spices such
that become involved. as cardamom or fresh ginger if you
so desire. A wonderful palate cooler
with a curry, or a great drink served
with a bowl of toasted Tableland
macadamias.

14 • Tropic • Issue 21