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?
Tag: Bushland
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)
Pale Pink Heath
Common Heath can have white, pink or red flowers. We don’t have any red flowering heath here, but it is found in a reserve about ten minutes drive down the road. Over the years I have found about 3 or 4 plants with deep pink flowers, but predominantly we have white flowering Heath on our … Continue reading Pale Pink Heath
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?
Ornate Pink Fingers (Caladenia ornata)
It’s always a good feeling to add a new plant to the species list, but it’s especially rewarding when it is a new orchid species for our property. I’ve been puzzling over the various types of Pink Fingers orchids for quite some time now, each year trying to take photos that lend themselves to identification. … Continue reading Ornate Pink Fingers (Caladenia ornata)
Orchid Leaves
On my walk around the property this morning, I noticed many species of plants sending up new growth. Among them were patches of orchid leaves. The photograph above shows Small Mosquito Orchid leaves, Waxlip Orchid leaves and possibly a Helmet Orchid leaf. In other places, many species of Greenhood are establishing colonies, the Gnat … Continue reading Orchid Leaves
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
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
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
Huntsman Spiders
In the comments beneath the Leaf Curling Spider post, macmsue and I have been comparing Huntsman Spider stories, so I thought this might be a good time to post a photos of one. It has been sitting there, waiting for an opportune time! I rescued this spider from the flue above the stove in the … Continue reading Huntsman Spiders
Leaf Curling Spider (Phonognatha graeffei)
About a month ago, it seemed there were Jewell Spiders everywhere, but this week the Leaf Curling Spiders have taken over. As the name suggests, each spider uses a curled leaf suspended in the centre of the web as a protected hiding spot. I’m actually thankful to see the leaves suspended as it has saved … Continue reading Leaf Curling Spider (Phonognatha graeffei)
Jumping Spider
Apparently there are more than 300 species of jumping spider across Australia, so I haven’t been able to narrow this one down to a specific species. It is an interesting looking spider though – as far as spiders go. I must admit I am not a spider fan. However, keeping a species list has meant that … Continue reading Jumping Spider
Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa Kershawi)
Along with the Common Brown butterflies, the Australian Painted Lady butterflies are plentiful at the moment. I’ve photographed this one on a 1.5 m high Xanthorrhoea (grass tree) flower spike. These flowers are a magnet for butterflies and honeyeaters. According to the field guide I am using, ‘Butterflies: Identification and life history‘ by Ross P. Field, … Continue reading Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa Kershawi)
Common Brown Butterfly (Heteronympha merope) Male
I’m only beginning to look at butterflies from an identification perspective, so here is one to start me off – the Common Brown Butterfly. It seems the air is alive with butterflies at the moment – tumbling, paired butterflies – and each time I put my foot down when walking through grass, I seem to … Continue reading Common Brown Butterfly (Heteronympha merope) Male
Hot Bats
On Wednesday, we had a fairly warm day which must have heated the space behind the fascia board on the deck, where there is a small bat colony. All of the bats were clambering over each other to get out of their den and into a place where they could cool down. Some bats chose … Continue reading Hot Bats
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)
Heath Teatree (Leptospermum myrsinoides)
I took these Teatree photographs in September of 2013 and they have been sitting in my ‘To Identify’ folder since then. The appearance of Teatree flowers again this Spring has prompted me to sit down and try to work out which species of Teatree we have here. Looking at the different flowering periods and differences … Continue reading Heath Teatree (Leptospermum myrsinoides)
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. .
Our First Spring Waxlip Orchid
It would be remiss of me to overlook the first Waxlip Orchid of Spring, which we saw yesterday afternoon. Last year, we had many Waxlip Orchids, so I hope this is just the first of many.
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?
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
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 