Tag: nature

Blunt Greenhood (Pterostylis curta)

We’ve had Blunt Greenhoods growing in reasonable numbers each year we’ve been living here, and I have photographed them each year.  For some reason, they haven’t yet featured in a post – until today! At the moment we have two small colonies of Blunt Greenhoods, with the prospect of finding more. They seem to be just … Continue reading Blunt Greenhood (Pterostylis curta)

Maroonhood (Pterostylis pedunculata)

It felt like a Spring day today, even though it is still Winter in Australia.  The sun was shining, the air was still, and all around me I could hear the calls of a myriad bird species.  Knowing I could probably have taken some good bird photographs if I had changed lenses, I stuck to … Continue reading Maroonhood (Pterostylis pedunculata)

Mind Shifting Moments 2: Art

Photography has always called me, but until we moved here, I really had no time to learn any photographic skills.  I would simply take snapshots, usually of family, friends and pets. The first photographs I took on this property were snapshots too.  A quick, unthinking capture of  a bird or plant for identification.  Sometimes I … Continue reading Mind Shifting Moments 2: Art

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?

Fully Open Helmet Orchids at last!

For those who are on the journey with me, here are some photographs of fully opened Helmet Orchids.  I’m not completely sure, but I think I may have photographed two different species of Helmet Orchid.  We certainly have the Slaty Helmet Orchid (Corybas incurvus) and looking at distinctions of colour, shape and curve,  I think we … Continue reading Fully Open Helmet Orchids at last!

Pink-Bells (Tetratheca ciliata)

A relative of the Black-Eyed Susan, which  grows in New South Wales, the Pink-Bells flower is very beautiful.   Usually blooming in Spring, the couple of flowers I photographed were very early.  I wasn’t the only one who liked them.  When I went back today to check on their progress, I noticed they had been … Continue reading Pink-Bells (Tetratheca ciliata)

Slaty Helmet Orchid Bud (Corybas incurvus)?

I’ve placed a question mark in the title of this post because the bud is so small and it may prove to be something else.   However, from a little bit of research, I’m fairly confident that I’ve finally found a Helmet Orchid!  Looking at other photos on the Internet, I think I have enough information … Continue reading Slaty Helmet Orchid Bud (Corybas incurvus)?

A Gallery of Favourite Shots 1: Birds

As a companion piece for the “Mind Shifting Moments” series, I will also compile some galleries of my favourite photographs from the last two years.   My A – Z Species list Birds page currently has links to 38 different species of birds I’ve photographed on our property.  In reality there are more as I have … Continue reading A Gallery of Favourite Shots 1: Birds

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

Beginning to Emerge: Nodding Greenhoods

I can’t claim these are the first Nodding Greenhoods to appear this season – I saw others a few days ago which seem to have been eaten before I photographed them. I hope the Swamp Wallabies enjoyed the meal.   Nevertheless, it is fantastic to see the graceful flower heads rising up from the earth … Continue reading Beginning to Emerge: Nodding Greenhoods

A Better Look at the Red-browed Finches

Much to my surprise, the Red-browed Finches were back at the bird feeder today, and they allowed me to walk toward them with the camera without getting too frightened.   Knowing it was best not to push my luck too far, I managed to capture a few photographs which show off their beautiful plumage.  The … Continue reading A Better Look at the Red-browed Finches

Wood-sorrel: Exotic or Native?

I’ve discovered there are two species of yellow flowering Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis) which look very similar, and are often confused.  One is native to Australia, the other is an exotic (weed) originally from South Africa. Looking at the flowers of both species, I believe this could be the Australian native plant Grassland Wood-sorrel (Oxalis perennans).  Can anyone … Continue reading Wood-sorrel: Exotic or Native?

A Tragic Summer Drowning

On hot Summer days, it gave me great pleasure to see the Swamp Wallabies cooling off in the dam.  They would move slowly through the water, parallel to the shore in the shallows. As they moved their hind legs, the rounded shape of their knees rising and lowering at surface level suggested the motion of a … Continue reading A Tragic Summer Drowning

Cranberry Heath (Astroloma humifusum)

Although Cranberry Heath is already on the plant species list, I initially misidentified it, and the post is not as specific as it should be.  Here are two photographs taken in June of a small Cranberry Heath plant growing alongside the dam. The red flowers are tubular, with a star-shaped opening.  The Latin name reflects this … Continue reading Cranberry Heath (Astroloma humifusum)

Red-Browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)

It has been a long time since I’ve had a new bird species to add to the A-Z  Native Species list, and small birds are hard to photograph, so I’m especially pleased to add the Red-Browed Finch.  Technically it was Richard who saw and photographed these birds. I was somewhere else and missed them.  Looking … Continue reading Red-Browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)

First Scented Sundews of the season

I’ve been watching the buds on the tiny Scented Sundew plants grow over the last week or so, and today I’ve had the good fortune to see the first flowers of the season.  Consisting of five white petals and stamens tipped in a clear yellow, these flowers are the definition of simple beauty. The leaves … Continue reading First Scented Sundews of the season

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

Branch with Lichen

Over the past month or so, I’ve photographed mosses, lichens and other Bryophytes we have here.  While there is information on Lichen and Moss to be found on the Internet, I’m discovering that I need to know the Latin name in order to search for images I can use for identification. A slow process.  I … Continue reading Branch with Lichen

Eyelash Fungi (Scutellinia scutellata) on Animal Scat

I’m not in the habit of photographing animal scats. Yesterday, when I saw scats covered with bright orange dots, I thought it warranted a bit of investigation, so I took a photograph. With a bit of time on the internet, I discovered that the orange dots were tiny Eyelash Fungi (Scutellinia scutellata) .   Thanks to … Continue reading Eyelash Fungi (Scutellinia scutellata) on Animal Scat

Pink Common Heath (Epacris impressa)

Here are the photographs of the pink Common Heath flowers I wrote about in yesterday’s post. So far, I have only found one plant with pink flowers, but we have quite a few Common Heath plants with white flowers.   It always seems to be a race to photograph these flowers before the Swamp Wallabies … Continue reading Pink Common Heath (Epacris impressa)