Category: Photography

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)

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

Self-Seeding Cranberry Heath

When we first moved in, almost five years ago now, there were very few native plants around the dam.  We pulled out a heap of Agapanthus plants and a large cactus plant which, to us, were at odds with sclerophyll bushland surrounding it.  Since then, grass grew, kangaroos and wallabies grazed, and each year we … Continue reading Self-Seeding Cranberry Heath

Ivy Leaf Violets, Sundews, Rice Flowers and Goodenias

As I wrote about last week, and as requested by Nature on the Edge here are some photographs of the smaller plants, such as Ivy Leaf Violets, Rice Flowers, Pale Sundews and Goodenias which seem to be flourishing this year, with the wet weather and prolonged cooler temperatures. We’ve had carpets of colour in the grass … Continue reading Ivy Leaf Violets, Sundews, Rice Flowers and Goodenias

Early Nancy Colour

In the time we have lived here, the first Waxlip flowers have appeared somewhere between the 9th and 21st September. In my scout around the bush, still no sign of them today. Last year, the lack of rain and warmer temperatures meant Spring arrived early, and was over before I really had a chance to … Continue reading Early Nancy Colour

A New Photography Portfolio

If you are a long-term follower of Fifteen Acres, it’s possible you may be wondering if I have run out of species to photograph and write about.  The posts in 2015 have been fewer than in other years.  Happily, the answer to that question is “No!”  there are heaps of species I am either yet to … Continue reading A New Photography Portfolio

Eight Ducklings Are Flying Now (5 Photos)

If you have been following the story of the eight ducklings being raised by one male duck, following the disappearance of the female, you’ll be happy to know they are now flying!  Two popular flight destinations are the bird feeders and the dam. Their father is still very vigilant.  Today I saw him chase away … Continue reading Eight Ducklings Are Flying Now (5 Photos)

Tonal Landscapes Calendar

If you found my posts on Tonal Landscapes interesting, you may like to know that I have created a 2015 Tonal Landscapes Calendar, available from my Redbubble site.  I’ve also created a Central Victoria: Colours and Textures calendar and a Central Victoria: Flora and Fauna calendar. In all three calendars, the photographs representing each month … Continue reading Tonal Landscapes Calendar

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

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

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. .    

A New Artistic Venture

In recent months I’ve received quite a bit of support for my photographic work, including my recent post about tonal landscapes which was reposted by Ian Lundt on his  Australia’s Best Ecology Blogs Facebook page (31 August). After much thought, I’ve decided to set up an online shop on Redbubble to make my photographs available all around the world in … Continue reading A New Artistic Venture

Mind Shifting Moments 2: Art

Photography has always called me, but until we moved here, I really had no time to learn any photographic skills.  I would simply take snapshots, usually of family, friends and pets. The first photographs I took on this property were snapshots too.  A quick, unthinking capture of  a bird or plant for identification.  Sometimes I … Continue reading Mind Shifting Moments 2: Art

First Scented Sundews of the season

I’ve been watching the buds on the tiny Scented Sundew plants grow over the last week or so, and today I’ve had the good fortune to see the first flowers of the season.  Consisting of five white petals and stamens tipped in a clear yellow, these flowers are the definition of simple beauty. The leaves … Continue reading First Scented Sundews of the season

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

Branch with Lichen

Over the past month or so, I’ve photographed mosses, lichens and other Bryophytes we have here.  While there is information on Lichen and Moss to be found on the Internet, I’m discovering that I need to know the Latin name in order to search for images I can use for identification. A slow process.  I … Continue reading Branch with Lichen

Jewell Spider (Austracantha minax)

I have photographed the Jewell Spider or Six Horned Spider, or Christmas Spider (among other names for this creature) previously, showing the white spots on the upper body. This time I was able to photograph the underside of the spider.  The white and yellow dots indicate this is a female spider.  The male is smaller, … Continue reading Jewell Spider (Austracantha minax)

Parson’s Bands (Eriochilus cucullatus)

The first Orchids of Autumn are beginning to emerge.  On my walk today I found four Parson’s Bands Orchids in different locations.  All were slightly off the beaten track, but not so far that I couldn’t see them while walking on a track.  All were growing beneath the shelter of a larger plant.  Two of … Continue reading Parson’s Bands (Eriochilus cucullatus)

An Eerie Light

Last week we experienced a heat wave in Victoria, with highest-ever temperatures being recorded in some locations.  The intense heat led to many fires across the entire State, resulting in a smoke-filled atmosphere.  Fanned by strong wind, the smoke drifted for hundreds of kilometers.  For a few hours on Friday afternoon, while it drifted across … Continue reading An Eerie Light

Marbled Xenica (Geitoneura Klugii)

For months now, it has puzzled me why so many butterflies hover low to the ground above bark and leaf litter, and in thick grassy areas with no flowers in sight.  I’ve always associated butterflies with flowers.  Thanks to a wonderful book given to me by my sister for Christmas, I can now answer that … Continue reading Marbled Xenica (Geitoneura Klugii)