Tag: Flowers

Slender Mint (Mentha diemenica)

In December when most plants had finished flowering, I noticed some pale purple flowers huddled in among long grass.  Initially, identification eluded me, so I picked a leaf off one of the plants and crushed it in my fingers.  It had a faint, but very distinct, mint scent.  Still it eluded me as the flower … Continue reading Slender Mint (Mentha diemenica)

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)

Trailing Goodenia (Goodenia lanata)

I can’t help wondering why it has taken me so long to post the Trailing Goodenia which is one of the most prolific flowering plants we have here in Spring.  It is one of the first Spring flowers to appear and continues flowering right into early Summer. We also find them in most parts of … Continue reading Trailing Goodenia (Goodenia lanata)

Salmon Sun-orchid (Thelymitra rubra)

The emergence of the Salmon Sun-Orchids occurred in mid-October.  It  coincided with an illness, an awkward photographic position and low light, so I resolved to come back the next day and photograph them properly.  Unfortunately I didn’t make it back for two or three days. By the time I got back to look for them, … Continue reading Salmon Sun-orchid (Thelymitra rubra)

Pink Eye (Tetratheca Ciliata)

The last two weeks have flown by in a whirl, and I realise I have missed last week’s plant species, so this week I will post a couple. The first is Pink Eye, a relative of the Black-Eyed Susan flower.  While the flowers of the two plant species may look similar, the leaves are different. … Continue reading Pink Eye (Tetratheca Ciliata)

Flowering Eucalyptus Trees (and the seed for leaf exchange)

A few days ago I wrote about the sole Corella flying with the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.  Since then, we’ve had small flocks of Corella landing in our trees.  This is not common.  While the Cockatoos do chew through twigs, sending a bunch of leaves falling to the ground, the Corella are much messier.  They seem … Continue reading Flowering Eucalyptus Trees (and the seed for leaf exchange)

Calling all Australian Native Pea Experts…. Help!

I took this photograph in October, and ever since then I have been trying to identify the species.  I can’t see a flower that looks exactly like this one, with the long elegant lower lobes and the clear red which shows between them.   My best guess, due to the cluster shape and the leaves, … Continue reading Calling all Australian Native Pea Experts…. Help!

Bushy Parrot-Pea (Dillwynia ramosissima)

Identifying Australian Native pea flowers is very difficult. I have many photographs of flowers that look slightly different, and I have spent days trying to work out whether they are the same species or different species.  In my search I have discovered that there are many different species of Bush-pea, Bitter-pea, Parrot-pea, Wedge-pea, Flat-pea and … Continue reading Bushy Parrot-Pea (Dillwynia ramosissima)

Yellow Rush-lily (Tricoryne elatior)

I photographed these Yellow Rush-Lily flowers at the very end of December, and they were still flowering into January.   In these hot Summer months, few flowers are in bloom, so I was ecstatic that they were so plentiful, and also that they took on a different form from many of the wild lily flowers, … Continue reading Yellow Rush-lily (Tricoryne elatior)

Exotic: Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea)

This pretty flower has had my attention for a month or two now. There is a very small patch of them growing along the front fence. In Summer, when hardly any flowers are in bloom, it was a lovely show  for a while.  However, I’ve just identified the plant as an Exotic species, or weed, … Continue reading Exotic: Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea)

Pale Grass-lily (Caesia parviflora)

Although the field guides I consulted describe this flower as ‘blue to lilac – rarely greenish-white” I do believe we have the greenish-white Pale Grass-Lily growing here.  Searching for white lilies that grow in the Corangamite region on the VicVeg website, I found images of the Pale Grass-Lily that were white-flowered, like ours.  Perhaps the … Continue reading Pale Grass-lily (Caesia parviflora)

Slender Onion-orchid (Microtis parviflora)

In mid-December, when I bent down to look at a Pale Vanilla-Lily flower, I noticed these Slender Onion Orchid spikes nearby.  Thankfully my friend had alerted me to look for them, or I may have just passed them over. The flowers are so tiny that they don’t immediately catch the eye. Among the information I have … Continue reading Slender Onion-orchid (Microtis parviflora)

Milkmaids (Burchardia umbellata)

Also called the Star-of-Bethlehem and known to the Indigenous Koorie population as Popoto, the cheerful Milkmaid blooms were present for most of Spring and into early Summer.  We found them mostly in the bushland at the back of our property, but occasionally one or two would pop-up in other areas. A member of the Liliacea … Continue reading Milkmaids (Burchardia umbellata)

Western Bronzehood Orchid (Caladenia iridescens)

Commonly referred to as a Bronze Caladenia, this tiny orchid is difficult to spot.  It really blends into the background!   However, we were lucky enough to find a couple that were  flowering toward the end of October.  According to David L Jones “Native Orchids of Australia” the blooms only last  from  two to five … Continue reading Western Bronzehood Orchid (Caladenia iridescens)

Branching Bluebell (Wahlenbergia multicaulis) and other Bluebells

Throughout Spring and Summer a range of bluebells have been flowering on the property. Some are large and beautifully coloured, while others appear smaller. Some seem to have six lobes, while most have five.  I admit to having a bit of difficulty in identifying these through a lack of clear field guide photographs against which … Continue reading Branching Bluebell (Wahlenbergia multicaulis) and other Bluebells

Red Beard-orchid (Calochilus paludosus)

I’ve saved a special orchid for Christmas.  We only had one of these growing – at least, we only found one.  Even then, we would  have missed it without our friend’s sharp eyes.   At the time the bud was just on the point of opening. We staked it and visited every day to see it … Continue reading Red Beard-orchid (Calochilus paludosus)

Ivy-leaf Violet (Viola hederacea sensu Willis)

Throughout Spring, and into Summer, we’ve had Ivy-Leaf Violets growing through the grass.  Looking down, they just appear as flecks of white and mauve among the green. When photographed, the true beauty of the flower is revealed.  In Australia, native violets are often recommended by plant nurseries as a good ground cover plant for cultivated … Continue reading Ivy-leaf Violet (Viola hederacea sensu Willis)

Duck-Orchid

Another intriguing Australian Terrestrial Orchid  was among the many flowers we found on a sunny day last week.  Richard initially saw a plant that seemed to have a differently shaped bud. We noted where it was growing and waited for our expert friend to visit. She identified that it would develop into a Duck-Orchid. Another … Continue reading Duck-Orchid

Tiger Orchid: Diuris sulphurea

We are lucky enough to have clumps of Tiger Orchids. These beautiful,  often large, flowers really attract attention with their bright yellows, browns and blacks. A ‘cousin’ of the Donkey Orchid, the Tiger Orchid shares the two large upright lobes.   We have Tiger Orchids in all of our main micro-climate zones.  They are growing … Continue reading Tiger Orchid: Diuris sulphurea

Spotted Sun Orchids (Thelymitra ixioides)

Over the last few weeks I have taken a swag of photos of Australian native flowers, including  more Australian Terrestrial Orchids.  Rather than post a gallery of them here, I’ll post them one by one, and build these posts into a plant index.  Today, I’m going to focus on the beautiful  Spotted Sun Orchids. Many … Continue reading Spotted Sun Orchids (Thelymitra ixioides)

Donkey Orchid (Diuris orientis)

These  Donkey Orchids were a cheerful addition to my daily walk.  We had a patch of around five or six plants in a three meter radius in a transitional position between dry bushland and a grassed area.   While they were not densely packed together, I found it interesting that they were all growing in … Continue reading Donkey Orchid (Diuris orientis)

Chocolate Lily (Arthropodium strictum)

The first of the Chocolate Lilies is in flower!  We had them last year, but that was before I developed an interest in native flowers. So I really didn’t take much notice of them until we were cleaning up the land for the Summer period.  In the process, a few were mown down.  I took … Continue reading Chocolate Lily (Arthropodium strictum)

Brown-clubbed Spider-orchid Caladenia phaeoclavia

My friend pointed out the leaves of the spider orchid before it flowered.  We placed a loop of squared fence wire around the precious flower (so the Swamp Wallaby would not eat it) and waited.  Eventually it bloomed. Luckily I took some photographs, because I went back a few days later to find only a … Continue reading Brown-clubbed Spider-orchid Caladenia phaeoclavia