Author: fifteenacres

My Art Studio is open this Weekend!

Fifteen Acres is all about nature, and since its conception in 2012, my focus has always been confined to what happens on our 15 acres of land. In recent years, we transformed an old bungalow into an art studio. For the first time, I am opening my art studio to the public as part of … Continue reading My Art Studio is open this Weekend!

Nature Inspired Creative Prompts on Patreon

Today, I’m so excited to launch my new Patreon community offering membership for those of you who wish to explore various aspects of nature -based creative inspiration. My membership levels begin at AU$5 which includes a weekly Creative Prompt, a monthly wallpaper image for your phone, and more.

Supple Spear-grass (Austrostipa mollis)

Thank you to iNaturalist’s Alan Bedgegood who helped me identify this native grass as Austrostipa mollis, a type of Spear-grass. The app Grasslands: Biodiversity of South-Eastern Australia lists the common name Supple Spear-grass but VicFlora does not list a common name. I am learning that it is necessary to include photographs of grass seeds as … Continue reading Supple Spear-grass (Austrostipa mollis)

Common Raspwort (Gonocarpus tetragynus)

Sometimes it pays off to photograph plants that appear to be weeds or insignificant in appearance. These days I mostly use my phone to photograph plants, and I debated whether it would be worth trying to capture a weedy looking tendril with red dots on it. The phone had a few issues, and it is … Continue reading Common Raspwort (Gonocarpus tetragynus)

Our Trust For Nature Covenant

Before you watch the video below, here is our journey: In August 2013 when we moved into our beautiful bushland property, I knew nothing about native flora and fauna. A new camera, the time to explore our bushland in detail and the curiosity to find out what I had photographed led to this blog. Over … Continue reading Our Trust For Nature Covenant

Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra)

A new neighbour interested in native grasses, a walk with a good friend through her grassland property, and visits from the Trust For Nature have all combined in the last month or so to spur me to look at our grasses. So, I’m beginning with Kangaroo Grass. While it is not the dominant grass on … Continue reading Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra)

Cortinarius archeri

In previous years I have sighted the odd, small, purple mushroom. Usually only one, and usually beneath Bracken making it hard to view or photograph. This year, we have a bonanza of purple mushrooms. Doing a Google search, I think it must be Cortinarius archeri but if you know of a similar looking species, please … Continue reading Cortinarius archeri

Autumn Wasp Orchid (Chiloglottis Reflexa)

We have been watching a patch of orchid leaves for years. Each year they grow rich and green and full of promise, then curl up without flowering. We thought they looked like Bird Orchid leaves, as they showed up in that ‘bow-tie’ formation in a reasonable sized colony. This year, I am delighted to say, … Continue reading Autumn Wasp Orchid (Chiloglottis Reflexa)

Games with A Bee Swarm

We are fortunate to have friends who know all sorts of things about flora and fauna. So, when I was talking about what I thought was the discovery of a new bee hive, my friend enlightened me. The European Honey Bees were swarming. Apparently this occurs approximately once a year, when an existing hive splits … Continue reading Games with A Bee Swarm

European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

We have, of course, seen European Honey Bees in our garden since we moved in. However, until today we had not seen a hive. This one was discovered by Richard when he was mowing the grass around the house. The hive is hanging beneath the nest of a Red Wattle Bird in a native Australian … Continue reading European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Blotched Blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea)

Sometimes, standing still in the bush brings the wildlife to me. On Friday I had found a fallen branch and was standing, thinking about ways of photographing it – the branch was very large. After a few minutes, I heard shuffling sounds in the undergrowth. Expecting an echidna to emerge, I quietly turned around, camera … Continue reading Blotched Blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea)

Frog Spawn

The Banjo Frogs were calling loudly from the dam in the middle of October.  A day or two later, lots of frog spawn appeared on the surface of the water.  I am guessing we will have a healthy population of Banjo Frogs next year. While I have not seen tadpoles in the dam in previous … Continue reading Frog Spawn

Rush-leaf Sun-Orchid (Thelymitra juncifolia) vs. Spotted Sun-Orchid (Thelymitra ixioides)

For many years I have been photographing the Spotted Sun Orchid (Thelymitra ixioides) on our property. I was aware that there was a variation in colour and often in the location of the spots.  Recently, with the help of ‘Bush Gems’ an excellent reference to Victoria’s orchids by Gary Backhouse, I realise there are two … Continue reading Rush-leaf Sun-Orchid (Thelymitra juncifolia) vs. Spotted Sun-Orchid (Thelymitra ixioides)

Purple Beard-orchid (Calochilus robertsonii)

Another orchid to make a first appearance in 2017 was the Purple Beard-orchid.  Two separate plants grew right on the edge of the walking track at the back of our property, and another two on a cleared section near the Brown-clubbed Spider-orchids.  We had seen one Red Beard-orchid in a different area in 2013, and … Continue reading Purple Beard-orchid (Calochilus robertsonii)

Plain-Lip Spider-orchid (Caladenia clacigera)

We primarily have Brown Clubbed Spider-orchids on our property, but in October 2017 I photographed this Plain-Lip Spider-orchid.  Among a few straggly bracken stems, there were two Plain-lip Spider-orchids, squat and dark compared to the brightly coloured Brown-Clubbed Spider-orchids with their green combs. I missed the orchid season last year, so I don’t know if … Continue reading Plain-Lip Spider-orchid (Caladenia clacigera)

Mystery Leaves (6 Photos) Can You Identify This Plant?

I am looking for some assistance here. For the last three years I have watched this patch of what I think are Chiloglottis leaves grow and then curl up in late Spring/early Summer. I haven’t seen any flowers grow on them.  The leaves are growing beneath a mature eucalyptus tree approximately halfway between the house … Continue reading Mystery Leaves (6 Photos) Can You Identify This Plant?

Tawny Frogmouth

On a warm January night, we were sitting in the lounge room watching TV when a loud bang on the screen door  startled us.  Initially, we couldn’t see anything outside, so Richard grabbed a torch and shone it into a nearby tree.   We saw a bundle of grey feathers and thought it was a solitary … Continue reading Tawny Frogmouth

Tachinid Fly (Rutilia lepida)

Out for a quick walk, I didn’t take my macro lens with me.  Pity, because I came across a luminescent insect about 2cm in length, sitting on a broken acacia trunk.  Turns out it was a large parasitic fly. According to Museum Victoria, the Tachinid Fly larvae feed on Scarab Beetle larvae.  The adults also … Continue reading Tachinid Fly (Rutilia lepida)

Hedge Wattle (Acacia paradoxa)

Over the years we have been here, I have photographed many plants which are waiting to be identified.  I first photographed Hedge Wattle in 2013 when I spotted a spindly branch dotted with yellow flowers in front of a tree I was trying to capture.  In October 2017 I found another specimen of Hedge Wattle … Continue reading Hedge Wattle (Acacia paradoxa)

Two Kookaburra Chicks

I thought I would start off 2018 with a happy story about Kookie, the kookaburra without tail feathers.   Looking back through my posts, I can see mentions of Kookie “the tailless Kookaburra” since late 2012, but we first really began to observe her in 2014.  Back then, we didn’t know if she was male or … Continue reading Two Kookaburra Chicks