The Mauve Splitting Waxcap is a biotrophic fungus native to Australia and New Zealand.
Category: Bushland
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
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)
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)
Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
When I first found these pretty blue flowers, a year or two ago, I thought they might be native. I put the photograph aside for identification, and got too busy to search for the species name. With the wet spring weather, it is plentiful again this year. Unfortunately, it isn’t a native Australian species, but … Continue reading Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
Another Puzzle: What Is This?
I had the opportunity to go walking up the back in the bush yesterday. The sun reflected off an object laying on the ground which seemed vivid green. Seeking this, I found a leaf covered with a cluster of large spherical attachments – too large for eggs, so presume they must be some kind of … Continue reading Another Puzzle: What Is This?
Tiny Fungi
We had so little rain in Autumn I thought we wouldn’t have a lot of fungi this year. Two weeks into Winter, we’ve had sufficient rain to green the landscape, but not enough to run off into the dam. However, it seems to be sufficient for the fungi to begin emerging. I found these beautifully … Continue reading Tiny Fungi
At Last – Autumn Has Arrived
It has been a long dry Summer this year. I notice my last post was dated in October 2015, so I have missed telling you about the end of Spring and the entire Summer season. (Oops – sorry about that.) In Australia, the El Nino weather pattern meant a hot, dry Spring followed by an even … Continue reading At Last – Autumn Has Arrived
Catching Up
Most of the time, confining this blog to what happens on our property of fifteen acres works well. There is certainly a lot to photograph and research. Over the past year I have been doing many more things which take my focus away: involvement in the community and trying to progress my artwork being two major focal … Continue reading Catching Up
Fallen Branches
We had three days of high gusty winds last week, resulting in several fallen branches. Some of these limbs looked like like small trees, towering over my head while laying on their side. The largest of them fell across a fence but thankfully it didn’t cause any lasting damage. When the weight was removed, the fence was … Continue reading Fallen Branches
The Fungi Project
This month, we have fungi popping out the ground all over the place, and each one seems to be a different species. Well, not quite, but there are so many different looking fungi around. I have not yet found a good way of identifying fungi, so I have created a page which will provide … Continue reading The Fungi Project
Red Fungi
It’s winter in Australia, and when taking a shortcut between two bush paths, I came across a group of beautiful red fungi. This is only one of a number of species growing now, most of which I have documented previously. The vibrancy and intensity of the colour marks it as different from some orangey-yellow fungi … Continue reading Red Fungi
Unidentified Skull
I found this skull on the grass on the side of the property that fronts onto a road. As far as I could see, there were no other bones in the vicinity, suggesting that the rest of it had been carted off for food. Or maybe the head had been carted off to our place by … Continue reading Unidentified Skull
Tonight’s Colours
For a few fleeting moments, tonight’s sunset lit up a group of trees in glorious colours. I always love the colour of the bark when it turns a deep terracotta. You can see where the birds and small mammals clutch the bark to climb up and down. Also, the trees in the background look almost … Continue reading Tonight’s Colours
Boxthorn (Exotic) or Bursaria (Native)
The original Post In a corner of our property, an area which has been slightly disturbed by small-scale mining in the 1800’s, I found a waist-high shrub with white flowers and thorns – Bursaria (native) or Boxthorn (Exotic) I wondered. It turned out to be Boxthorn, an introduced species which has the potential to become … Continue reading Boxthorn (Exotic) or Bursaria (Native)
Mystery Plant – Help Please!
A couple of weeks ago, I came across a mystery plant which I had not noticed before. As I often do, I took a couple of quick snapshots to take inside to identify the plant. Once I have identified a plant, I then go out and take more photographs if it is an interesting species. … Continue reading Mystery Plant – Help Please!
Exotic (Weed): Large Quaking-grass (Briza maxima)
Also known as Blowflies, Blowfly Grass, Briza, Quaking Grass, Shell Grass and Shelly Grass, Large Quaking-grass is an exotic (weed). I know this thanks to a local person I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of weeks ago. We walked around the boundary and she shared her knowledge of plants native to this area, including grasses. It … Continue reading Exotic (Weed): Large Quaking-grass (Briza maxima)
What’s Nesting Here?
In the last week I’ve noticed evidence of something nesting in a relatively low to the ground hollow – approximately 6 feet off the ground. The hollow seems to have recently been refurbished with carefully shredded pieces of bark and small sticks. I’m not sure how long this has been occurring, so I will make this one of … Continue reading What’s Nesting Here?
Regrowth Forest
In Australia, regrowth forest has been in the news recently. Our conservative Government requested that an area of regrowth forest be removed from the World Heritage listing. Thankfully the request was refused because this regrowth is part of a beautiful old growth forest in Tasmania. Over the last few weeks, when I ventured into areas of local … Continue reading Regrowth Forest
Mind Shifting Moments 1: Ecosystem
As we approach the two-year mark, I want to document some of the ‘mind shifting’ moments that have occurred since we moved in. I think I am substantially a different woman from the one who lived in the centre of the city two years ago. The topic I have selected for this first post is Ecosystem … Continue reading Mind Shifting Moments 1: Ecosystem
Wood-sorrel: Exotic or Native?
I’ve discovered there are two species of yellow flowering Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis) which look very similar, and are often confused. One is native to Australia, the other is an exotic (weed) originally from South Africa. Looking at the flowers of both species, I believe this could be the Australian native plant Grassland Wood-sorrel (Oxalis perennans). Can anyone … Continue reading Wood-sorrel: Exotic or Native?
Exotic: Large-flower Wood-sorrel (Oxalis purpurea)
The Large-Flower Wood-sorrel flower looks pretty, but this plant is a weed introduced from elsewhere. We have a couple of very small patches of it this year. I think it is new as I have not noticed it before. I’ve heard that Oxalis spreads if you try to pull it out of the ground and we don’t … Continue reading Exotic: Large-flower Wood-sorrel (Oxalis purpurea)
A Fallen Acacia
In Summer, one of our Acacia trees snapped its trunk about five feet off the ground. The colour of the bark and exposed timber against the dry grasses, and the shape of the branches kept drawing my attention. Today, as I was scrolling through some old photographs, I came across this one. I like this … Continue reading A Fallen Acacia
Fifteen Acres 