Beetles love blossoms.

For the last week, several plants of Melaleuca linariifolia in my yard have been flowering prolifically. I decided yesterday that I ought take some photos to show you how these flowers are structured, for they are somewhat unusual.

This plant is one of those plants known as "Snow in Summer".
Such names are of course, very ambiguous, but poetic.

A little closer view.

Here is a shot of a head if flowers - seen end on.
The bristling petals interlock,
making it hard to see where one flower starts.

Here is the same group of flowers, seen from the side.
You can see the petals opened out like little cups.
They are clearly visible on the left hand flower -
the one closest to my fingers.
The long white structures are not petals they are stamens.
The botanists describe this structure as a "claw".
That's the bit I was referring to as unusual.
Click to enlarge the image to see the tiny dots of pollen.

Here is a set of buds, just starting to open.
Here is a spray of leaves, from which the plant takes its name
- the "Flax-leaved Melaleuca" (from "Linum" the Flax plant)

While I was taking those shots I realised that the old flowers were smothered with beetles.

Click to enlarge.
Small Brown Beetles and Soldier Beetles. I do not know why the fresh flowers were not attracting the beetles. The old flowers were literally crawling with beetles.