Category: Native Species List

This is a photographic record of native wildlife and plant species we have found on our property.

Clover Glycine (Glycine latrobeana)

Looking through the   Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) publication “Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Plants in Victoria 2014”  I noticed a couple of listings under Glycine, including Clover Glycine. As it is a native pea species and one of my projects this Spring is to identify as many of the pea … Continue reading Clover Glycine (Glycine latrobeana)

Rambling Around: An Echidna Encounter

I know we have Echidnas on our property, for I often find holes they have dug around ants nests or tasty plant roots.  Usually, it’s easy to tell if an Echidna has dug the hole because of the tell-tale impressions their pointy noses leave at the bottom of the hole.  I’ve come across these fascinating … Continue reading Rambling Around: An Echidna Encounter

Three Young Males: Coming home?

As if in answer to my question ‘What happened to Junior’,  three young male Eastern Grey Kangaroos wandered through the property two nights ago.  Comparing photographs, I think one of them was ‘Junior’ the elder of the two joeys our resident female kangaroo raised here.  While I can’t be 100% sure it’s him, the light … Continue reading Three Young Males: Coming home?

Marsupial Spring

I was so focused on the ducks this morning that I wasn’t even looking for marsupials –  kangaroos or wallabies.  Then something fast-moving and small caught my attention.  The camera was already out and active taking photographs of ducklings, so for once I was prepared for a spontaneous joey run!  Yes, for those who have … Continue reading Marsupial Spring

Duckling Update: There Are Still Eight Ducklings

After the fox sighting, I was worried when I could count only six heads last night, but two ducklings must have been hiding in the grass.  There are still eight of them this morning.  A proud Dad was following his brood as they raced ahead of him.  He seemed content to let the ducklings set … Continue reading Duckling Update: There Are Still Eight Ducklings

Duckling Worries

Last year, the Australian Wood Duck pair first brought their brood of ducklings to our dam on 14 September, so I have been watching and waiting for ducklings since mid-September this year.  Finally, this week they appeared.  We first sighted nine ducklings being led by two parents at dusk about a week ago.  They were on … Continue reading Duckling Worries

Rabbit Ears (Thelymitra antennifera)

I haven’t had time to identify any further Sun Orchids species I photographed over the past week, but as I already know Rabbit Ears, and it is a Sun Orchid, I thought I would share a photograph of one.  I took this photograph on 19 October with a Macro lens. Rabbit Ears orchids are named for the … Continue reading Rabbit Ears (Thelymitra antennifera)

Grassland Sun Orchid (Thelymitra basaltica)

For the second time this week, I am researching an endangered species of Sun Orchid which does not appear in my field guide – this time it’s the Grassland Sun Orchid.   I can only find a couple of photographs to match it against on Retired Aussies and on EcoLink, both of which have only … Continue reading Grassland Sun Orchid (Thelymitra basaltica)

Eastern Grey Kangaroo Joey: Jumping on Mum

As promised in my previous kangaroo post, here are the photographs of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo joey – delayed slightly while I was hunting for Sun Orchids. This young joey still spends most of the day in its mother’s pouch.  So, when the joey climbs out for five minutes of exercise, it is still experiencing the … Continue reading Eastern Grey Kangaroo Joey: Jumping on Mum

Short Sun Orchid (Thelymitra exigua)

The centre of this Short Sun Orchid almost seems to have teeth shown in a gasp of horror!  It makes me smile because it is both beautiful and humorous in a charming way.  I like the way the colour in the lobes fades toward the centre of the flower. I would like to tell you more … Continue reading Short Sun Orchid (Thelymitra exigua)

Slender Sun Orchid (Thelymitra pauciflora)

Learning how to identify the various species of Sun Orchid is not an easy task, so I am beginning with the Slender Sun Orchid because it is one that I have (I believe) successfully classified.  I’m happy to be corrected by orchid enthusiasts! While Sun Orchids come in a variety of sizes and colours, the … Continue reading Slender Sun Orchid (Thelymitra pauciflora)

Spring Flowers: Milkmaid

I thought I would share  this photograph of Milkmaid flowers, which I took today while photographing the Sun Orchids. Milkmaids already appear on the species list, but the Macro lens allows me to take a much clearer photograph than the previous one. It will take me a day or two to work out the different species of … Continue reading Spring Flowers: Milkmaid

“Kookie” the Tailless Kookaburra

I’ve written about Kookie, the tailless Laughing Kookaburra before.  We keep wondering if the loss of its tail is temporary, but after at least 18 months of no tail, we guess it must be a permanent state.  I would love to know if this is a result of genetics or an accident or attack.  As I’ve … Continue reading “Kookie” the Tailless Kookaburra

“Who’s Who” in the New Kangaroo Mob

Recently, I wrote about a new mob of six Eastern Grey Kangaroos which seem to have displaced our usual mob of three.   Unlike the previous mob, they are not on our land all of the time. Kangaroo Diary If I see kangaroos of a morning or evening,  I do take at least a couple of photographs to … Continue reading “Who’s Who” in the New Kangaroo Mob

Grey Parrot-pea (Dillwynia cinerascens)

Continuing my quest to work out the difference between all of the native pea plants growing in our bushland, my best guess is this one is a Grey Parrot-pea.   From my reading, they have clusters of up to ten flowers, which are ‘sessile’ or  appearing to be without a stem.  The leaves are long … Continue reading Grey Parrot-pea (Dillwynia cinerascens)

Blue Stars with White Flowers

At the moment, Blue Stars  (Chamaescilla corymbosa var. corymbosa) flowers are coming up everywhere. When the sun is out the grass around the house is dotted with blue.  They also appear in the bush section of the property, but not with the same frequency. In among the blue flowers are two plants with white flowers. … Continue reading Blue Stars with White Flowers

Common Flat-pea (Platylobium obtusangulum)

Working toward  my goal to identify the various Australian native pea plants we have growing here, I have identified this one as the Common Flat-pea.  Yesterday it was full of flowers and unopened buds but the wind was strong,  making it difficult to get a clear shot at the trembling flowers.  This morning we saw a … Continue reading Common Flat-pea (Platylobium obtusangulum)

Yam Daisy (Microseris sp. 3)

There is so much in flower at the moment, I could have chosen many different native flowers to write about – but the Yam Daisy  is one that should have been included in the A – Z Species list  last year.  When I saw it in flower again, I thought it was high time to dedicate … Continue reading Yam Daisy (Microseris sp. 3)

A Gallery of Spring Flowers

With the warmer weather, Spring flowers are beginning to pop up everywhere. This gallery of photographs contains native species which are already included on the A -Z Species List through previous posts. All of the photographs below were  taken over the last two weeks. .    

Battered Butterfly

Yesterday I had my first opportunity to use my macro lens to photograph a butterfly. Consulting the field guide, I think it could be a Yellow Admiral (Vanessa itea). Despite its battered state, the butterfly was flying from one plum blossom to the next without trouble. I wanted to take more photographs but just as the … Continue reading Battered Butterfly

Orchid Colonies

Some Australian Terrestrial Orchids grow in colonies, and this year we are fortunate to have a couple of reasonably good-sized ones. After photographing the solitary Waxlip Orchid the other day, I thought I would try to find more Waxlip Orchids yesterday, but only found two more.  Last year we had so many of these.   I … Continue reading Orchid Colonies

A New Mob: Ructions in the Ranks

I’m not sure what is happening in the Kangaroo world, but we’ve had quite a bit of change lately, with a new mob showing up on occasion.  For more than a year, we have had a fairly stable population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, with rarely more than three here at a time.  Mostly, this has … Continue reading A New Mob: Ructions in the Ranks

Smooth Parrot-Pea (Dillwynia glaberrima)

Last week I posted a photograph of an unidentified pea flower, which was subsequently identified by John as a Smooth Parrot-pea (Dillwynia glaberrima). As John mentioned in his comment, Dillwynia species of plants have a few distinguishing characteristics, and once I was alerted to these, I couldn’t resist looking up the Smooth Parrot-pea in Enid Mayfield’s … Continue reading Smooth Parrot-Pea (Dillwynia glaberrima)