Tag: Plants

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

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)

Prickly Starwort (Stellaria pungens)

This post is the beginning of a weekly addition to the A – Z Plant Index showing plant species we have growing on our property.    I’ve started small, based on previously published posts, but I have a large stock of unpublished photographs to identify and add over the coming months.  This list will evolve … Continue reading Prickly Starwort (Stellaria pungens)

Pale Vanilla-lily: Arthropodium milleflorum

We’ve had Chocolate Lilies flowering for a few months now, so it was exciting to finally see some Pale Vanilla-Lilies.  I’ve seen photographs of the flowers in field guides, with their fluffy purple and white stamens.  They have fascinated me for months. It turns out that the flowers are actually very small.  The field guide … Continue reading Pale Vanilla-lily: Arthropodium milleflorum

Vegetable Tales

For those of you who have been following the vegetable garden and our attempts to grow our own food, I’m sorry for the long wait.  The truth is, we’ve had more failure than success over the past year.  Initially the vegetables planted in the greenhouse seemed to be doing very well. When Winter came, we … Continue reading Vegetable Tales

X is for Xanthorrhoea!

Last year I wrote a post about Xanthorrhoea, using my only reference guide at the time to try to determine the species.  A few comments suggested I had incorrectly named the plant as Xanthorrhoea Resinosa when it was more likely to be Xanthorrhoea Minor.  The feedback was probably correct. However, by the time I could check, the flowers … Continue reading X is for Xanthorrhoea!

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

Dianella – the Flax-lily

I’ve seen the Flax-lily featured in some of the field guides I have on my bookshelves, and as the photographs were so striking, I’ve been watching for them since we moved in. Finally, I have found one!  In my imagination, they were large-flowered beauties, growing from a central stem, but nothing could be further from … Continue reading Dianella – the Flax-lily

Tall Sundew Flowers

At the moment, Tall Sundew flowers abound.  At least I am pretty sure they are Tall Sundews.  Pale Sundews look very similar. My field guides tell me that the way to tell the two plants apart is to look at the leaves just above ground level – that the Tall Sundew leaves are circular, and … Continue reading Tall Sundew Flowers

Fringed beauty for a day

I can identify these beauties as a species of Fringe Lily, or Thysanotus. Most the guides I have looked at show them on graceful stems, or as a trailing climber, while our flowers seemed to be growing at ground level. When I took this photo, I intended to come back the next day and look … Continue reading Fringed beauty for a day

Running Postman ( Kennedia prostrata R. Br.)

Also known as the Scarlet Coral-Pea or Scarlet Runner, this brightly coloured flower is covering the ground in a grassy area just behind our orchard.  While I believe it is a creeper that grows along the ground, it looks like many individual plants growing together in a clump. The flowers are about 2 cm across, … Continue reading Running Postman ( Kennedia prostrata R. Br.)

Vanilla Orchid (Thelymitra antennifera)

In researching this orchid I have discovered that it is also called the Lemon Orchid, Rabbit-ears or Rabbit’s Ears Orchid.  Looking at the photo on the guide, I can see that the dark marks in the centre do look like some flopsy ears.  These aren’t shown in my photos, so I will go back out … Continue reading Vanilla Orchid (Thelymitra antennifera)

Native Pea Flowers

In one vibrant corner of our bush we have Waxlip Orchids, Pink Eyes (coming soon!) and this glorious shrub covered in gold and red flowers.  So many of our native shrubs have flowers of this colour and shape, and my head is spinning from trying to identify this one correctly.  I believe it is probably … Continue reading Native Pea Flowers

Pink Fingers: Australian Native Orchid (Caladenia carnea)

Today I was finally able to go out looking for native flowers again.  I’ve had a busy few days, and when I was ready to take a break, it was raining. Over the three days, many more Waxlip Orchids have opened. I found these distributed throughout the bushland, with some patches and some solitary plants. … Continue reading Pink Fingers: Australian Native Orchid (Caladenia carnea)

Gnat Orchid

On the same day I photographed the Waxlip Orchid, I also managed to get some clearer photographs of the Gnat Orchid. This Orchid is so hard to see. It is so tiny, the stems are slimmer than a blade of grass, and brownish purple.  i was so lucky to be with people who knew what … Continue reading Gnat Orchid

The First Waxlip Orchid this Spring

Yesterday I spent an enjoyable morning searching for orchids with friends. We found many Greenhoods of varying types, and many more leaves or buds indicating that a number of species were about to burst into flower – Spider Orchid, Sun Orchid and Waxlip Orchid among them.  Try as we might, we didn’t find one of … Continue reading The First Waxlip Orchid this Spring

More orchids in flower

It is amazing how much more I can see when I have a knowledgeable guide to point out the tiny Australian Native Orchids in flower.  I must have walked past some of the tiny mosquito orchids hundreds of times without noticing they were in flower.  My friend B.J., who is an orchid enthusiast visited today, … Continue reading More orchids in flower