Recently, I wrote about the falling water level in the Dam.  I’ve noticed many small plants growing close to the new perimeter of the water. These have all grown naturally from seed dispersed in the air or deposited when birds and mammals go to the dam for a drink.

I thought it might be interesting to do a small survey to see what species they are.  This has proven more time consuming than I anticipated, so to get things started, I thought I would post a photo gallery now, and come back to each individual plant species in separate posts.  By all means, if you recognise a plant, please leave a comment to give me a hint!

Captions beneath each photograph in the gallery convey any information I have been able to find out about each plant.

Of all the plants growing, this is the most plentiful. The leaves and flowers are tiny, and it was necessary to use a photograph to see the details. So far, I have not been able to identify this species.

I’m not sure, but this could be Toad Rush (Juncus bufonius) the red and green colours match up. However, there may be other red and green rushes!

Ever since we moved here, we’ve been finding the odd muscle shell on the sand. We assumed they were thrown in after meals by previous owners. With the dropping water levels, we’ve discovered they are actually living in the dam. Some, like this one, have provided a tasty meal for a heron.

I can tell this is some kind of eucalypt, but as to which species, I don’t know.

This looks like it is White Cudweed (Vellereophyton dealbatum) a species of cudweed which is an exotic (not native to Victoria). It is probably the second most plentiful plant in the re-growth.

This is a photo of the white and pink flower, taken with a Macro lens.

There are quite a few mature Acacia trees growing around the dam -these were planted by previous owners. So, it isn’t surprising to find a young Acacia naturally growing where seed fell..

This may or may not be the same plant I thought could be Toad Rush. Stay tuned!

So far, I have not been able to see anything like these flowers in the field guides, so I have no idea what they are! While there are a few of these dotted around the dam, they are not plentiful.

I have come across this species in other locations around the property, unlike some of the other flowering plants in this gallery. Look out for an ID on it soon.

This seems to be another eucalypt. Again, I am not sure of the species.

Another unidentified young tree. It is good to see that some trees have grown from naturally germinated seed.

Another eucalypt, I believe

The leaves on this young tree look different than the other eucalypts, so we seem to have more than one species re-vegetating.

This may well be the same species as Young Tree 3. I’m not sure. Stay tuned for more species specific posts.