The centre of this Short Sun Orchid almost seems to have teeth shown in a gasp of horror! It makes me smile because it is both beautiful and humorous in a charming way. I like the way the colour in the lobes fades toward the centre of the flower. I would like to tell you more … Continue reading Short Sun Orchid (Thelymitra exigua)
Tag: nature
Spring Flowers: Milkmaid
I thought I would share this photograph of Milkmaid flowers, which I took today while photographing the Sun Orchids. Milkmaids already appear on the species list, but the Macro lens allows me to take a much clearer photograph than the previous one. It will take me a day or two to work out the different species of … Continue reading Spring Flowers: Milkmaid
“Kookie” the Tailless Kookaburra
I’ve written about Kookie, the tailless Laughing Kookaburra before. We keep wondering if the loss of its tail is temporary, but after at least 18 months of no tail, we guess it must be a permanent state. I would love to know if this is a result of genetics or an accident or attack. As I’ve … Continue reading “Kookie” the Tailless Kookaburra
“Who’s Who” in the New Kangaroo Mob
Recently, I wrote about a new mob of six Eastern Grey Kangaroos which seem to have displaced our usual mob of three. Unlike the previous mob, they are not on our land all of the time. Kangaroo Diary If I see kangaroos of a morning or evening, I do take at least a couple of photographs to … Continue reading “Who’s Who” in the New Kangaroo Mob
Grey Parrot-pea (Dillwynia cinerascens)
Continuing my quest to work out the difference between all of the native pea plants growing in our bushland, my best guess is this one is a Grey Parrot-pea. From my reading, they have clusters of up to ten flowers, which are ‘sessile’ or appearing to be without a stem. The leaves are long … Continue reading Grey Parrot-pea (Dillwynia cinerascens)
Blue Stars with White Flowers
At the moment, Blue Stars (Chamaescilla corymbosa var. corymbosa) flowers are coming up everywhere. When the sun is out the grass around the house is dotted with blue. They also appear in the bush section of the property, but not with the same frequency. In among the blue flowers are two plants with white flowers. … Continue reading Blue Stars with White Flowers
Common Flat-pea (Platylobium obtusangulum)
Working toward my goal to identify the various Australian native pea plants we have growing here, I have identified this one as the Common Flat-pea. Yesterday it was full of flowers and unopened buds but the wind was strong, making it difficult to get a clear shot at the trembling flowers. This morning we saw a … Continue reading Common Flat-pea (Platylobium obtusangulum)
Yam Daisy (Microseris sp. 3)
There is so much in flower at the moment, I could have chosen many different native flowers to write about – but the Yam Daisy is one that should have been included in the A – Z Species list last year. When I saw it in flower again, I thought it was high time to dedicate … Continue reading Yam Daisy (Microseris sp. 3)
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
Battered Butterfly
Yesterday I had my first opportunity to use my macro lens to photograph a butterfly. Consulting the field guide, I think it could be a Yellow Admiral (Vanessa itea). Despite its battered state, the butterfly was flying from one plum blossom to the next without trouble. I wanted to take more photographs but just as the … Continue reading Battered Butterfly
Orchid Colonies
Some Australian Terrestrial Orchids grow in colonies, and this year we are fortunate to have a couple of reasonably good-sized ones. After photographing the solitary Waxlip Orchid the other day, I thought I would try to find more Waxlip Orchids yesterday, but only found two more. Last year we had so many of these. I … Continue reading Orchid Colonies
A New Mob: Ructions in the Ranks
I’m not sure what is happening in the Kangaroo world, but we’ve had quite a bit of change lately, with a new mob showing up on occasion. For more than a year, we have had a fairly stable population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, with rarely more than three here at a time. Mostly, this has … Continue reading A New Mob: Ructions in the Ranks
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.
Smooth Parrot-Pea (Dillwynia glaberrima)
Last week I posted a photograph of an unidentified pea flower, which was subsequently identified by John as a Smooth Parrot-pea (Dillwynia glaberrima). As John mentioned in his comment, Dillwynia species of plants have a few distinguishing characteristics, and once I was alerted to these, I couldn’t resist looking up the Smooth Parrot-pea in Enid Mayfield’s … Continue reading Smooth Parrot-Pea (Dillwynia glaberrima)
Narrow-leaf Bitter-pea (Daviesia leptophylla)
This is the first Bitter-pea I’ve noticed on the property, but it has probably been growing here in other years. I think I have been so focused on Orchids and more showy flowers, it was easy to overlook these tiny pea flowers. Firstly, because they are so small, held on slender stems, and secondly because … Continue reading Narrow-leaf Bitter-pea (Daviesia leptophylla)
A Swamp Wallaby Sighting
Since the sad February drowning of the female Swamp Wallaby, I haven’t seen any Wallabies around – until this morning! This one came up and over the wall of the dam, which it skirted, and then up to the house to feed on a patch of cape weed leaves. However, it didn’t hang around for … Continue reading A Swamp Wallaby Sighting
Pea Flowers
One of my projects this Spring is to work out how to identify the many different species of wild pea species. I have tens of photographs of pea flowers from last Spring which I’ve been unable to identify because I didn’t photograph the leaves or the calyx well enough. Both of these features are important … Continue reading Pea Flowers
Disputed Habitat: Pacific Black Duck vs Australian Wood Duck
This morning I awoke to a wonderful surprise, a Pacific Black Duck with approximately eight ducklings (it was difficult to count them from a distance). I’d not noticed a nest, so I don’t know if they were breeding on our property or a neighboring one. With such young fluffy ducklings, they had obviously walked … Continue reading Disputed Habitat: Pacific Black Duck vs Australian Wood Duck
Calling Orchid Enthusiasts: Help Please!
In an earlier post I reported that I had found one solitary Maroonhood Orchid. Since then, I’ve discovered three small colonies. However, I’m unsure if one of these colonies is the same species, or a sub-species. Can anyone help me to correctly identify it from the photographs below? I have spent quite a bit of time … Continue reading Calling Orchid Enthusiasts: Help Please!
Our Eastern Grey Kangaroos are Back
My last post on the Kangaroos was in June, when it looked like the young joey was going to emerge from the pouch for the first time. However, from that moment, the kangaroos kept their distance from the house. Then, late in July they left the property. One morning, a different mob of five kangaroos arrived, … Continue reading Our Eastern Grey Kangaroos are Back
Mayfly Orchid (Acianthus caudatus)
I’ve been watching a tiny patch of Mayfly Orchids grow for quite some time, checking on their progress every couple of days. As they are growing on the edge of a track created by wildlife, I’ve had my fingers crossed that the orchids didn’t become breakfast for a creature before they flowered. Fortunately, they seem to be … Continue reading Mayfly Orchid (Acianthus caudatus)
Tall Greenhood (Pterostylis longifolia)
I found this Tall Greenhood yesterday when I decided to veer off the walking path and investigate a track created by animals. This track just led from the walking path to the boundary fence, and was the way on and off our property for wallabies and kangaroos. Nearby was a healthy population of Maroonhoods, which … Continue reading Tall Greenhood (Pterostylis longifolia)
Climbing Sundew Flowers (Drosera macrantha)
I’ve posted a few photographs of the Climbing Sundew plant, including macro images of the amazing pod-like leaves, with their red, sticky hairs poised to capture insects. This week, the flowers have emerged. The swollen, hairy buds almost look like Poppy buds. The flower itself looks similar to the Scented Sundew flower, with the surprising addition … Continue reading Climbing Sundew Flowers (Drosera macrantha)
Fifteen Acres 