JULIE MCENERNY | 'Melaleuca with Nest ' | Watercolour drawing

Since her 2023 Northsite exhibition ‘Melaleucas and Mangroves’ Julie continues to work within the theme of of these two ecosystems, including the epiphytes and their importance in the complex cycles of biodiversity of our coastal wetlands.

An example of the elegant and complex nest of an important melaleuca pollinator - the paper wasp. Each wasp is adept at papermaking, using chewed bark and plant fibre mixed with water to assist in building the colony's nest. This one was on the ground underneath Melaleuca leucadendra.