Australian Native Flowers

Playing Detective: Rainfall, Kangaroos, and the Lack of Native Flowers

Being new to this area, I don’t have a history of seasonal changes. What’s normal for these parts? I simply don’t know. When we arrived here in August 2012, the land abounded with native flowers, including ten species of native orchid flowering at one time. This continued in early and mid Spring, then as the … Continue reading Playing Detective: Rainfall, Kangaroos, and the Lack of Native Flowers

October Wildflowers: Part 2

I’m discovering that identifying wildflowers is very time-consuming. Our two field guides cover wildflowers from all over Australia, with multiple variations on most species. Looking at the small illustrations or photographs in the field guides, often nothing looks exactly the same as the wildflowers I have found. However, by looking at locations they are found, … Continue reading October Wildflowers: Part 2

October Wildflowers – Part 1

Colourful flowers, including some Native Orchids caught my uneducated eye in October, as I began to investigate the bushland a bit more closely. Wax-lip Orchid (Orcidaceae Glossodia Major) The beautiful colour and form of the Wax-lip Orchid made them highly visible against the greens, yellows and whites of almost everything surrounding them. Dillwynia Many different … Continue reading October Wildflowers – Part 1

September Wildflowers – A Beginning

Helen commented on A Family of Four, reflecting on the way kangaroos were affecting the number of wild flowers in South Australia. This has inspired me to go back and keep a month by month record of the native flowers I have photographed since we moved in. This will build into an index of flowers … Continue reading September Wildflowers – A Beginning

A Tiny Native Orchid

We have been trying to identify some of the small birds which hide in the undergrowth and treetops. Among the methods we use is to sit in the bush listening for their calls. Yesterday, while doing this, Richard spotted our first Autumn Native Orchid. So far I have not been able to identify it precisely, … Continue reading A Tiny Native Orchid

First Autumn Flower

Over Summer the ground has been so dry that we haven’t had any native flowers blooming. This is the first one I’ve spotted in Autumn. Although I’m sure it is some kind of pink heath, I can’t match it to any of the images in my field guides to Australian flowers. Right now, it doesn’t … Continue reading First Autumn Flower

Tall Sundew – Carnivorous plant

I took this photo in November, and was unable to identify the name of the flower. In my many Google searches to find the species of a caterpillar for a post, I came across a brochure called “Threatened Species of Central Victoria” designed for school children by the Koala Connect project, through the Australian Koala … Continue reading Tall Sundew – Carnivorous plant

Taunting Kookaburras: Photographing our environment

Every night, just when the light is too low to capture them on film, I hear kookaburras laughing in the trees. It sounds like they are taunting me because try as I might, I simply can’t get a good photo of one. During the day, the kookaburras call from neighbouring properties, or the opposite end … Continue reading Taunting Kookaburras: Photographing our environment

Xanthorrhoea Resinosa and Butterflies

On Wednesday I took a walk around our bush block in the golden glow of a setting sun. Butterflies were everywhere. Every time I came across a Xanthorrhoea Resinosa flower spike, I saw butterflies feeding on the nectar. This is a case of images speaking louder than words. Enjoy the photos!

Waxlip Orchid (Glossodia major)

In mid-October we had a few Waxlip Orchids flowering. They seem to be solitary, just one here and there, but their beauty certainly captures my attention when I walk past one. I’m still a novice when it comes to native Australian wildflowers, so I rely heavily on references. The one I am using to identify … Continue reading Waxlip Orchid (Glossodia major)