What's flowering: Victoria

[Andersonhoney]

Not your best photography but it's a messmate isn't it.

[Lancej]

Looking at the leaves, buds etc. Messmate,  but the bark is alot smoother.

[Andersonhoney]

Yeah I thought you were just trying to trick me. It can be variable and local conditions can also have an effect. Change of area eg clearing etc can also change the bark over time.

[Andersonhoney]

Happy anniversary to this thread!
Lots of things flowering but bees no where near it. I have noticed this all spring and still it continues, as hover flys other flys and native bees, ants etc defecate and fornicate on the flowers. European honey bees are very clean and won't put up with that. Non native species seem to be not attracting the native insects as much so blackberry, patto, st Johns wart etc seem to be OK.  Anyone else notice the same or would like to tell me I'm full of it, please post.

[Lancej]

This season I only took 1 hive up for our own fruit trees, it went backwards the day I left it there. Lots of nectar and pollen sources and still used their stores. Then they must have swarmed.

[Andersonhoney]

Blackberries down on the low country. Anyone on it, how's it going.?

[Andersonhoney]

Red gum flowering well along the murray..... but, with the wet season we've had, yep more insects. So many other, native bees, flies, ants, plague thrips etc. I moved bees out of the mallee, they were doing ok . But it is too far from my base to keep water up to them etc. Kunzea down at yea is yielding nectar with tea tree to come and red gum just starting to flower,  although it won't be a great flowering.
The rain last week has held the tea tree back around the yarra valley. Blackberry doing great etc.
That's all I've got at the moment.  Anyone else? Anyone? ..... anyone? (In Victoria that is).

[Milo]

Melaleuca in the Goulburn Valley.

[Andersonhoney]

Blackberries started this week in the kinglake ranges 500 to 600 m above sea level.  This time last year it had finiche.  Every year is different.

[220]

How long does your blackberry last?
Im southern NSW and 7-800m so not much difference, ours started around a week ago in the open country but stuff sheltered in the bottom of gullys etc will still be a month away. Early December is about normal for here and usually well into Feb before the later patches are finished.

[Andersonhoney]

A Normal year that would be nice. Probably late November for us here, I would think it would then be all done by mid January.  This year it will be later , I'll keep you posted.
It's still a few weeks away at another site I've used 900 m above.

[Lancej]

Looking at the trees in the bush at around 700m, small amount of Mana Gun flowering and the odd peppermint (think that's what they are). Blackberries flowers opening up, mainly the north facing plants. Lots of clover in the paddocks

[Andersonhoney]

Are the bees only on the clover and not the peppermint or blackberry?

[Lancej]

No blackberries in flower where the hives are, about another week, they're on the south facing side. Only seen the bees on the clover at the moment. Had some other small trees flowering in the gullies,  but no idea what they were.

[Lancej]

For those looking for a copy of Honey and pollen flora, there is a knock off on gumtree and ebay at the moment. Already have one, not too bad a copy, but the price seems to be going up.

[Andersonhoney]

Tea tree finishing around Yea seymour area. Both kunzea and leptospermum will just see the new year in. Still some blackberry around there and a few red gum too. Blackberry is now at peak up at home (kinglake ranges) so to is tea tree.  Ill Enjoy a few days off, then back in to it, I'll graft some queens while things are going well.
Have a prosperous 2017 viewers, and I'll here from you all soon.

[Lancej]

Looks like messmate is starting to flower well in bush, hopefully we will get plenty of nectar this season.

[Milo]

May not mean a lot given the sparsity of trees but Coral gums in the streetscape/nature strips are starting to move around the GV

[Milo]

lightwood or hickory wattle is starting in the Strathbogie ranges around Gooram.

[Andersonhoney]

That seems late, or is it at a higher altitude? There has been a bit of rain through some of that area. Broad leaf peppermint flowering too.