Every plant in the Shade-Loving Native Retreat collection is chosen to deliver on native plants for shade. Add a few that share your conditions and group them for the strongest effect.
Shade-Loving Native Retreat
Shady corners need not be dull. These natives are adapted to the forest understorey and bring lush greenery to part-shade and low-light spots.
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Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon' · Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon' · from $4.50 One of Australia's most popular garden hybrids — a low-maintenance native shrub producing red toothbrush flowers almost year-round to feed the birds. -
Waratah · Telopea speciosissima (Sm.) R.Br. · from $4.95 The floral emblem of New South Wales — a striking evergreen shrub crowned in spring by vivid red flowerheads, prized as a feature plant and cut flower. -
Albany Pitcher Plant · Cephalotus follicularis A rare carnivorous plant from south-west Western Australia, forming a low rosette of intricate ribbed, lidded pitchers that flush deep red in good light. A prized, slow-growing collector's species. -
Australian Nut Palm · Cycas media An Australian native cycad forming a palm-like trunk topped with arching glossy fronds, found through Queensland's tropical woodlands. A hardy architectural feature; seeds and foliage are toxic to pets. -
Blue Flax Lily 'Little Jess' · Dianella caerulea 'Little Jess' A compact, clumping strap-leaved flax lily with airy sprays of blue starry flowers followed by glossy purple berries. A tough, low-care mass-planting and border grass for sun or shade. -
Blue Flax-Lily · Dianella caerulea A clumping strappy native with starry blue flowers followed by glossy violet berries that draw birds. Tough, tidy and at home in mass plantings or pots. -
Bluebell Creeper · Billardiera heterophylla A dainty Western Australian native twiner hung with nodding clusters of bright blue bell flowers through the warmer months, followed by blue berries. Pretty and hardy, but a weed risk outside its native range. -
Bower Vine · Pandorea jasminoides · from $16.95 A vigorous evergreen climber with glossy foliage and large trumpet-shaped pink flowers with deep rose throats through the warmer months. Ideal for covering pergolas, fences and arbours. -
Bower Wattle · Acacia cognata 'Limelight' · from $18.95 A soft, weeping dwarf wattle with fine cascading lime-green foliage that forms a neat mounding feature. Popular in containers and modern landscapes for its graceful fountain-like form. -
Brasco Violet Native Daisy · Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet' A compact mounding native daisy smothered in violet-purple flowers over a very long season. Hardy and free-flowering, ideal for borders, pots and bee-attracting plantings. -
Breeze Flax Lily · Dianella caerulea 'Breeze' A fine-leaved flax lily forming a soft fountain of bright green foliage with blue flowers and purple berries. Hardy and versatile for borders and mass plantings. -
Brush Box · Lophostemon confertus A robust evergreen Australian native with a dense rounded canopy of glossy leaves, peeling reddish-brown bark and fluffy white summer flowers. A tough, widely planted street and shade tree. -
Bulbine Lily · Bulbine bulbosa A tufted native lily with fleshy grass-like leaves and spikes of fragrant star-shaped yellow flowers in spring. An easy, drought-hardy perennial and bush-food bulb. -
Cassa Blue Flax Lily · Dianella caerulea 'Cassa Blue' A compact Australian native flax lily with upright blue-grey strappy foliage, sprays of small blue flowers and shiny purple berries. A versatile, hardy choice for borders, mass plantings and pots. -
Common Correa · Correa reflexa · from $5.50 A versatile small shrub with pendulous red-and-green tubular bells through autumn and winter that supply nectar to honeyeaters when little else flowers. Shade-tolerant and frost-hardy. -
Common Tussock Grass · Poa labillardierei A handsome large tussock grass with fine blue-green foliage forming soft fountain-like clumps topped by airy summer seed heads. A movement-rich native for mass planting and erosion control. -
Cushion Banksia · Banksia spinulosa 'Cushion' A low, spreading dwarf form of the hairpin banksia forming a dense mound studded with gold-and-black flower spikes through the cooler months. A compact bird-attracting groundcover shrub. -
Cut-leaf Daisy · Brachyscome multifida · from $4.25 A dainty spreading native daisy carpeted in mauve, purple or white flowers for much of the year above ferny green foliage. Ideal for borders, rockeries, containers and attracting butterflies. -
Drumsticks · Isopogon anemonifolius A compact eastern shrub with finely divided leaves and yellow flower clusters that mature into woody, drumstick-like seed cones. A tough, tidy feature for sandstone gardens. -
Dusky Bells Correa · Correa 'Dusky Bells' A low spreading shrub with dark green foliage and pendent dusky-pink bell flowers through autumn and winter. Shade-tolerant, bird-attracting and ideal for groundcover. -
Dusky Coral Pea · Kennedia rubicunda A tough, fast Australian native climber and groundcover bearing dusky red pea flowers in spring that attract honeyeaters. Hardy and adaptable, it is excellent for binding banks and quick cover. -
Dwarf Apple · Angophora hispida A gnarled small tree or large shrub of Sydney sandstone with bristly new growth and showy creamy-white summer blossom rich in nectar. A characterful bird-attracting feature. -
Dwarf Lilly Pilly · Syzygium smithii 'Minor' A compact lilly pilly with flushes of coppery new growth, fluffy white flowers and edible mauve berries. A versatile, hardy hedge and screen for most gardens. -
Dwarf River Wattle · Acacia cognata A compact, weeping wattle grown for its fountain of fine lime-green foliage rather than its flowers — a soft, mounding feature for pots, borders and low screens. -
Eelweed · Vallisneria australis A native submerged oxygenating aquatic with long ribbon-like leaves that sway in the current. Valuable for keeping pond water clear and providing habitat for fish. -
Fairy Fan-flower · Scaevola aemula 'Purple Fanfare' A spreading native groundcover smothered in fan-shaped mauve-purple flowers from spring through autumn. A fast, hardy carpet and trailing container plant for sun. -
Federation Belle Correa · Correa 'Federation Belle' A compact rounded shrub bearing large pendent pink bell flowers through autumn and winter. Hardy and bird-attracting, ideal for borders and containers. -
Finger Lime · Citrus australasica 'Australian Finger Lime' An Australian rainforest native bush-food prized for its finger-shaped fruit packed with tangy caviar-like vesicles. A thorny, slow understorey shrub that fruits in autumn and suits dappled light or a sheltered pot. -
Firewheel Tree · Stenocarpus sinuatus A handsome rainforest tree with glossy lobed leaves and extraordinary spoke-like wheels of scarlet-and-gold flowers in autumn. A spectacular bird-attracting feature tree. -
Fishbone Water Fern · Blechnum nudum An Australian native fern forming a neat shuttlecock of soft, fishbone-patterned fronds above a short, slowly developing trunk. Ideal massed beside ponds and in moist, shaded ferneries. -
Flannel Flower · Actinotus helianthi A soft grey-felted wildflower bearing daisy-like cream flowers with green-tipped petals that feel like flannel. A treasured short-lived perennial for sandy coastal gardens and cut flowers. -
Fraser Island Creeper · Tecomanthe hillii A handsome Australian native rainforest climber with glossy foliage and showy clusters of rosy-pink trumpet flowers in spring. A choice, frost-tender vine for sheltered subtropical gardens. -
Free n Easy Native Lilac · Hardenbergia violacea 'Free n Easy' A vigorous twining climber smothered in white pea flowers through winter and spring. Hardy and fast, ideal for fences, trellises and screening in low-water gardens. -
Fringe Lily · Thysanotus tuberosus A delicate native perennial bearing exquisite purple flowers with finely fringed petals on wiry stems over grassy foliage in late spring. A dainty bush-tucker tuber and collector's wildflower. -
Fringed Wattle · Acacia fimbriata A soft, weeping wattle with fine fringed foliage and a profuse late-winter display of fragrant lemon-gold pom-poms. Fast, hardy and ideal as an informal screen or quick filler. -
Granny's Grave Correa · Correa reflexa 'Granny's Grave' A hardy spreading correa with red and green tubular bell flowers through autumn and winter that draw honeyeaters. A tough, shade-tolerant feature and groundcover. -
Grass Tree · Xanthorrhoea glauca An iconic slow-growing Australian grass tree forming a stout dark trunk topped with a fountain of blue-green foliage and a tall flower spear after fire. A sculptural living feature. -
Great Balls of Fire Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Great Balls of Fire' A dense rounded bottlebrush grown chiefly for its brilliant red and pink new foliage flushes, with occasional red brushes. A colourful, hardy low hedge. -
Green Globe Honey Myrtle · Melaleuca 'Green Globe' A naturally rounded dwarf melaleuca with dense bright green foliage forming a tidy ball without pruning. Ideal for low formal hedges, balls and container feature plantings. -
Gymea Lily · Doryanthes excelsa A massive rosette-forming lily of the Sydney region throwing up flower stems to 4m topped with a head of large red blooms. A bold architectural feature and bird magnet. -
Hairpin Banksia · Banksia spinulosa · from $5.50 A reliable evergreen shrub bearing golden-yellow flower spikes with distinctive hooked styles through autumn and winter, providing vital nectar for birds. Tough, frost-hardy and bushfire-adapted. -
Hop Goodenia · Goodenia ovata 'Gold Cover' A prostrate form of hop goodenia spreading into a glossy green mat dotted with bright yellow flowers for most of the year. A fast, hardy groundcover for sun or shade. -
Icee Blue Plum Pine · Podocarpus elatus 'Icee Blue' A striking selection of the native plum pine with powdery blue-grey new growth and a naturally narrow, upright habit. An eye-catching modern hedge, screen or container feature. -
Ivory Curl Tree · Buckinghamia celsissima A Queensland rainforest tree with glossy foliage and long, fragrant cream flower spikes that cascade over the canopy in summer. A spectacular feature and street tree for warm climates. -
Kangaroo Vine · Cissus antarctica A lush evergreen rainforest climber with glossy toothed leaves that quickly clothes a fence or pergola in deep green and tolerates shade. A hardy screening vine and popular indoor plant. -
Katie Belles Lomandra · Lomandra longifolia 'Katie Belles' A tall upright lomandra with broad green strappy leaves and tall scented yellow flower spikes. Architectural and hardy, excellent for screening and feature plantings. -
King Fern · Todea barbara A massive, long-lived Australian native fern building a broad fibrous crown of leathery dark green fronds from a thick mounding base. A bold, statuesque feature for moist, sheltered gardens. -
Knobby Club-rush · Ficinia nodosa A tough, tufting coastal sedge with wiry dark green stems tipped by little knobby seed heads. Salt-, wind- and waterlogging-tolerant, it excels in coastal and rain-garden plantings. -
Lady Di Bower Vine · Pandorea jasminoides 'Lady Di' A vigorous evergreen climber with glossy foliage and large pure white trumpet flowers with pale yellow throats through spring and summer. Ideal for fences and pergolas. -
Lemon Myrtle · Backhousia citriodora A rainforest tree whose glossy leaves release an intense lemon fragrance and are prized as a bush-tucker culinary herb, topped with fluffy cream flowers in summer. A useful aromatic feature and screen. -
Lemon-scented Tea Tree · Leptospermum petersonii A tall tea tree with aromatic lemon-scented foliage and white spring blossom, often grown as a fragrant informal hedge. The leaves can be steeped for a citrus bush tea. -
Lilly Pilly · Syzygium australe · from $3.95 Australia's favourite native screen — glossy evergreen leaves flushed coppery-red when new, clipping into dense hedges and topiary, followed by edible magenta berries the birds love. -
Lime Tuff Lomandra · Lomandra confertifolia 'Lime Tuff' A compact fine-leaved lomandra forming a dense lime-green tuft that needs no trimming. Tough and drought-hardy, ideal for borders, containers and mass plantings. -
Lime Tuff Mat-rush · Lomandra 'Lime Tuff' A compact, dense lomandra with fine lime-green foliage forming a tidy rounded tussock. Tough and low-care, it suits formal borders, mass plantings and containers. -
Little Jess Flax Lily · Dianella 'Little Jess' A compact, clumping flax lily with deep green strappy leaves, sprays of blue starry flowers and purple berries. A neat, tough small native for borders, pots and mass planting. -
Long-leaf Wax Flower · Philotheca myoporoides A neat shrub with aromatic foliage and pink buds opening to masses of starry white waxy flowers in winter and spring. A fine cut flower and a fragrant, hardy garden filler. -
Lucia Flax Lily · Dianella 'Lucia' A compact flax lily with blue-green foliage that develops purple tints, plus blue flowers and berries. Tough, frost-hardy and tidy for borders and mass plantings. -
Luscious Water Gum · Tristaniopsis laurina 'Luscious' A selected water gum with large glossy leaves, smooth orange-brown bark and clusters of fragrant yellow flowers in summer. A handsome, well-behaved shade and street tree. -
Marian's Marvel Correa · Correa 'Marian's Marvel' An upright shrub with long pink and yellow-green bell flowers through autumn and winter that draw honeyeaters. A hardy, shade-tolerant feature and informal screen. -
Matted Dampiera · Dampiera diversifolia A spreading WA groundcover forming a dense low mat that becomes a sheet of intense violet-blue flowers in spring and summer. A striking colour carpet for well-drained gardens. -
Matted Pratia · Lobelia pedunculata A creeping, mat-forming groundcover with tiny leaves studded with starry pale blue flowers, tolerant of light foot traffic. An excellent lawn substitute and paving filler for moist spots. -
Meema Native Lilac · Hardenbergia violacea 'Meema' A non-climbing shrubby form of native lilac forming a dense mound smothered in purple pea flowers in winter and spring. Ideal for groundcover, banks and low borders. -
Moore's Cycad · Macrozamia moorei A massive Australian native cycad developing a thick trunk to several metres, crowned with a huge symmetrical rosette of stiff arching fronds. A dramatic long-lived feature; seeds are toxic to pets. -
Nafray Fountain Grass · Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Nafray' An Australian-bred selection of the native swamp foxtail forming neat green clumps topped with fluffy purple-bronze bottlebrush plumes. Tough, low-care and sterile-flowering, making it a safer choice than the weedy species. -
Nardoo · Marsilea drummondii An Australian native aquatic fern with four-lobed clover-like leaves that float on the surface or stand above damp mud. An iconic inland wetland plant; its spore cases were ground for food by Aboriginal peoples. -
Native Bluebell · Wahlenbergia stricta A dainty native perennial sending up wiry stems topped with nodding sky-blue bells from spring to autumn. A charming, self-seeding filler for cottage and meadow plantings. -
Native Iris · Patersonia occidentalis A tufted native iris with strappy leaves producing a succession of delicate purple-blue three-petalled flowers in spring and summer. A hardy, grassy clumper for borders and damp spots. -
Native Pelargonium · Pelargonium australe A hardy native geranium forming a low clump of softly hairy scalloped leaves topped with clusters of pink, veined flowers in the warmer months. A tough, drought-tolerant groundcover perennial. -
Native Sarsaparilla · Hardenbergia violacea A vigorous evergreen climber that smothers fences and trellises in cascades of purple pea flowers through late winter — one of the first natives to announce spring. -
Native Violet · Viola hederacea A dainty spreading groundcover with kidney-shaped leaves and white-and-purple flowers held on slender stems almost year-round. Loves cool, moist shade where it forms a lush living carpet. -
Nyalla Lomandra · Lomandra longifolia 'Nyalla' A robust lomandra with steel-blue strappy foliage and scented yellow flowers in spring. Extremely hardy and architectural, ideal for mass plantings and coastal sites. -
Old Man's Beard · Clematis aristata A graceful native clematis climbing through shrubs and trees, covered in starry white flowers in spring followed by fluffy silvery seed heads. A delicate cover for shaded fences and woodland gardens. -
Oval-leaf Mint Bush · Prostanthera ovalifolia A soft, fast-growing shrub with aromatic foliage that erupts in a haze of purple bell flowers in spring. Brush the leaves for their minty scent; a lovely short-lived feature. -
Pale Rush · Juncus pallidus A hardy Australian native rush forming dense clumps of stiff, upright pale-green stems, thriving in wet ground and pond margins. Excellent for bog gardens, rain gardens and bank stabilisation. -
Pineapple Zamia · Lepidozamia peroffskyana A tall, fast-by-cycad-standards Australian native forming a slender trunk crowned with long, glossy, gracefully arching fronds. A lush rainforest feature for shaded subtropical gardens; seeds toxic to pets. -
Pink Rice Flower · Pimelea ferruginea A compact, rounded WA coastal shrub with neat glossy leaves smothered in dense pink pom-pom flower heads in spring. A tidy, hardy feature and cut flower for well-drained gardens. -
Pink Rock Orchid · Dendrobium kingianum A tough Australian native orchid forming clumps of tapering pseudobulbs that erupt in fragrant sprays of pink to mauve flowers in spring. Extremely hardy on rock, bark or in pots in mild gardens. -
Plum Pine · Podocarpus elatus A handsome native conifer with long, glossy dark-green leaves and edible purple-black fleshy fruit used as a bush-tucker flavouring. Tolerant of clipping, it makes a fine native screen, hedge or feature. -
Poorinda Ballerina Mint Bush · Prostanthera 'Poorinda Ballerina' A bushy aromatic mint bush smothered in white flowers flushed mauve in spring. Fast-growing and bee-attracting, ideal as a feature or informal screen in cooler gardens. -
Poorinda Royal Mantle Grevillea · Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' A vigorous flat groundcover that roots as it spreads, carrying deep red toothbrush flowers against dark green foliage. A classic erosion-control native. -
Port Jackson Pine · Callitris rhomboidea A graceful native cypress pine with weeping, fine green foliage and a slender pyramidal habit. Adaptable and low-care, it suits screening and feature use in coastal and temperate native gardens. -
Purple Coral Pea · Hardenbergia violacea 'Happy Wanderer' A vigorous twining native pea bursting into sheets of purple flowers in late winter and spring. A reliable, fast cover for fences, trellises and banks. -
Queensland Kauri · Agathis robusta A tall native kauri with a straight trunk, smooth bark and broad, leathery glossy-green leaves unusual for a conifer. A stately feature and shade tree for subtropical and warm-temperate gardens. -
Ravine Orchid · Sarcochilus hartmannii A compact Australian native orchid forming neat clumps that throw arching sprays of rounded white flowers with crimson-spotted centres in spring. A choice cool-growing native for shaded, airy positions. -
Resilience Lilly Pilly · Syzygium australe 'Resilience' A psyllid-resistant lilly pilly selection with dense glossy foliage, bronze new growth and white flowers followed by red berries. An excellent low-care hedge and screen. -
Rice Flower · Ozothamnus diosmifolius An upright shrub topped in spring with dense clusters of tiny white or pink button flowers held above fine aromatic foliage. A major commercial native cut flower and easy garden filler. -
Rosemary Grevillea · Grevillea rosmarinifolia A hardy prickly-foliaged shrub resembling rosemary, flushing red-and-cream spider flowers through autumn, winter and spring. Excellent dense habitat and screening for small birds. -
Rough Tree Fern · Cyathea cooperi A fast-growing Australian native tree fern with a slender trunk marked by coin-shaped frond scars and a wide canopy of large, lacy fronds. A quick lush feature for shaded subtropical gardens. -
Shady Lady Waratah · Telopea 'Shady Lady Red' A robust, free-flowering waratah hybrid bearing large crimson flower heads in spring above leathery green foliage. More vigorous and adaptable than the wild species, and a stunning cut flower. -
Shara Lomandra · Lomandra fluviatilis 'Shara' A soft weeping fine-leaved lomandra forming a low blue-green fountain. Compact and very hardy, ideal for borders, slopes and low-maintenance mass plantings. -
Snake Vine · Hibbertia scandens A scrambling coastal climber and groundcover with glossy leaves and large bright yellow buttercup-like flowers through much of the year. A tough, versatile cover for banks, fences and dunes. -
Snow in Summer · Melaleuca linariifolia 'Claret Tops' · from $17.95 A compact form of the popular paperbark with striking burgundy new growth maturing to green, and fluffy white summer flowers. Hardy and adaptable for hedges, screens and feature planting. -
Soft Tree Fern · Dicksonia antarctica A stately Australian native tree fern with a fibrous brown trunk crowned by a broad canopy of soft, arching green fronds. A lush, cool-tolerant feature for shaded ferneries and woodland gardens. -
Soft Twig Rush · Baumea rubiginosa A native marginal sedge forming neat clumps of fine green stems, useful for stabilising pond edges and natural water filtration. A reliable choice for constructed wetlands and rain gardens. -
Spiny-head Mat-rush · Lomandra longifolia An indestructible strappy-leaved native that thrives in sun or shade, wet or dry, coast or inland. The workhorse of low-maintenance landscaping and erosion control. -
Spoonleaf Sundew · Drosera spatulata A small carnivorous sundew, native to Australia, forming rosettes of spoon-shaped leaves studded with glistening sticky tentacles that trap tiny insects. An easy, charming bog plant for sunny pots. -
Swamp Foxtail · Pennisetum alopecuroides A clumping grass with arching green foliage and showy purplish foxtail plumes in summer and autumn. Self-seeds readily and is regarded as an environmental weed in parts of Australia. -
Tall Sedge · Carex appressa A vigorous weeping sedge forming a lush green fountain of fine arching foliage. Thriving in damp and boggy ground, it is a go-to for rain gardens, pond edges and erosion control. -
Tanika Mat Rush · Lomandra longifolia 'Tanika' A popular Australian native strappy-leaf plant forming fine-textured weeping clumps of bright green foliage with scented yellow flower spikes. Extremely tough, drought- and frost-hardy, and ideal for mass plantings. -
Tas Red Flax Lily · Dianella tasmanica 'Tas Red' A flax lily prized for the red-burgundy tones in its strappy foliage during cooler months, with blue flowers and purple berries. Hardy and colourful in mass plantings. -
Thyme Honey-myrtle · Melaleuca thymifolia A small, dainty paperbark with fine blue-green leaves and curious fringed mauve-purple claw flowers through the warmer months. Tolerates wet feet and suits damp or boggy spots. -
Tick Bush · Kunzea ambigua A soft, arching shrub with fine aromatic foliage smothered in fluffy honey-scented white flowers in late spring that hum with bees and insects. A fast, hardy screen for coastal sites. -
Upright Water Milfoil · Myriophyllum crispatum A native semi-emergent aquatic with feathery whorled foliage that rises above the water surface. A useful oxygenator and habitat plant for natural ponds and frog bogs. -
Warrigal Greens · Tetragonia tetragonioides A hardy Australian native bush food that sprawls into a heat- and salt-tolerant spinach substitute when English spinach has bolted. Blanch the leaves before eating to remove oxalates. -
Water Gum · Tristaniopsis laurina An adaptable evergreen Australian native with glossy leaves, smooth peeling orange-brown bark and fragrant yellow summer flowers. A popular, well-behaved street and feature tree. -
Water Snowflake · Nymphoides indica A dainty floating aquatic with small heart-shaped leaves and frilly white star-flowers fringed with delicate hairs. Quickly covers the surface of warm ponds. -
Weeping Lilly Pilly · Waterhousea floribunda A graceful evergreen Australian native with gently weeping branches of glossy ripple-edged leaves and fluffy cream flowers. Excellent as a tall screen, shade tree or feature. -
Willow-leaved Hakea · Hakea salicifolia A fast, dense large shrub with willow-like leaves and clusters of small creamy flowers in spring. One of the best native plants for a quick screen or hedge. -
Winter Rouge Wax Flower · Philotheca myoporoides 'Winter Rouge' A compact shrub with aromatic foliage and rose-pink buds opening to white star flowers through winter and spring. Hardy and bee-attracting, ideal for borders and pots. -
Wollemi Pine · Wollemia nobilis A rare living-fossil conifer discovered in 1994 in a remote NSW canyon, with bubbly bark and fern-like dark green foliage. A prized collector's feature tree, hardy and adaptable in pots or the ground. -
Wonga Wonga Vine · Pandorea pandorana A hardy, fast Australian native climber bearing dense clusters of small creamy bell flowers often marked with maroon or brown throats in spring. Tough and adaptable, it screens quickly and shrugs off dry spells. -
Wonga Wonga Vine 'Snowbells' · Pandorea pandorana 'Snowbells' A vigorous evergreen climber with glossy ferny foliage and masses of fragrant creamy-white tubular bells in spring. A fast, hardy cover for fences, pergolas and screens. -
Woolly Bush · Adenanthos sericeus A soft, feathery WA shrub clothed in silky silver-green foliage that begs to be touched, with small red flowers tucked among the leaves. A popular living Christmas tree and textural feature. -
Woolly Grevillea · Grevillea lanigera A prostrate, spreading grevillea that carpets the ground in soft grey foliage and pink-and-cream spider flowers through the cooler months, feeding honeyeaters when little else is out.