I’ve been walking past a patch of plants with clumps of long, flat, green leaves for the entire time we’ve lived on our property, and only in the last couple of weeks did I realise these Spiny-headed Mat-Rush plants had beautiful white flower spikes hidden away. From the research I have done, it seems they … Continue reading Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia)
Tag: nature
Eastern Yellow Robin(Eopsaltria australis)
This Eastern Yellow Robin was one of the many birds enjoying the sunshine yesterday afternoon, following a very welcome rainy week. Many times on my walks I can hear bird calls coming from behind bushy leaves. Rarely do I see many of these tiny ‘tweety’ birds, so I was so happy to photograph this one. … Continue reading Eastern Yellow Robin(Eopsaltria australis)
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
Yellow Rush-lily (Tricoryne elatior)
This year the Spring has been so dry that flowers seem to be behaving in unseasonal ways, including the Yellow Rush-lily which last Summer flowered in February. Having noted that, I have only found one small group of plants, so perhaps they are growing in a micro-climate that suits them and the others will flower … Continue reading Yellow Rush-lily (Tricoryne elatior)
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
Jacky Dragon in Bushland
I’ve photographed Jacky Dragons before, but each time they have been in our garden or in the house (courtesy of a cat, even with the cat netting), so it was lovely to see one in the bushland up the back, just minding its own business. I very nearly stood on this one because the Jacky Dragon defense mechanism is to … Continue reading Jacky Dragon in Bushland
Duckling Update: Growing Adult Plumage
It is now 25 days since I wrote about the female Australian Wood Duck being taken, and the male duck raising eight ducklings. In that first post I mention we had sighted the ducklings about a week before. So, give or take a few days, the ducklings are now a month old. We still have … Continue reading Duckling Update: Growing Adult Plumage
Kookaburra on Water Feature
We’ve been setting up a new garden which has a water feature at the centre – just high enough to be a good vantage point for Kookaburras. The birds have taken to sitting on the top-tier to spy insects and worms in the garden bed below. The photograph above was taken through my study window. … Continue reading Kookaburra on Water Feature
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
Gallery: Young Joey Practices Wrestling with Mum
A short time ago I posted photographs of a young joey jumping all over its mother. Well, this time the kangaroos were right in front of the house and the joey was quite aggressive – kicking the female kangaroo in the head and torso, as well as apparently drawing blood. I guess this is what … Continue reading Gallery: Young Joey Practices Wrestling with Mum
Drooping Mistletoe (Amyema pendula)
For many years I have wanted to have a red flowering eucalypt, so when I spotted what appeared to be red flowers on the ground, I got excited – only to work out that I have a red flowering Mistletoe. The Mistletoe is a parasitic plant which attaches to eucalypts and sometimes acacia trees. The … Continue reading Drooping Mistletoe (Amyema pendula)
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)
Grey Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa)
It has been a long time since I’ve added a new bird to our species list, so I am very happy to share these photographs of a Grey Fantail and the nest the pair of Fantails are building. It is in a position where we can peek inside without disturbing the birds and so far … Continue reading Grey Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa)
Ducklings: Still Eight, and Growing Fast
Since the loss of the female Australian Wood Duck, we’ve been hoping the male can successfully rear eight ducklings on his own. Ten days later, the eight ducklings are still alive and seem to be growing fast. The family of ducks seem to live just over our boundary fence, and come in to graze or … Continue reading Ducklings: Still Eight, and Growing Fast
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
Fifteen Acres 