I’ve been trying to think of a clever way of showing the size of the beard-heath flowers, but in the end I resorted to a ruler. At least it is then a precise measurement rather than an approximation of size. The most tricky part was to position the ruler where it was visible, but not … Continue reading Beard-Heath and Sundews: Sizing them up
Tag: Plants
Common Beard-heath Leucopogon virgatus (Labill.) R. Br.
With tiny flowers, hardly more than 2 mm across when fully open, I was lucky to see the Common Beard-Heath, let alone photograph it clearly without a macro lens. This is my first effort at capturing the fluffy petals (with the assistance of Photoshop to enlarge the flower). Today is a clear sunny day, so … Continue reading Common Beard-heath Leucopogon virgatus (Labill.) R. Br.
Nature’s Carpets – The beauty of moss
In the last month, quite a bit of rain has fallen. I’ve noticed thick carpets of moss, lichen and other tiny ground covers growing thicker and richer in colour. At the moment, I don’t know the names of the specific species, but over the next few weeks I will do some research and try to … Continue reading Nature’s Carpets – The beauty of moss
Scented Sundew Part 2
A week ago I would have walked past hundreds of Scented Sundew plants, and not even noticed that they were there. Having found the first Scented Sundew on Saturday, I’ve had a heightened awareness of tiny leaves, looking for the telltale sticky hairs. It turns out we have patches of Scented Sundews all over our … Continue reading Scented Sundew Part 2
Climbing Sundew Drosera macrantha Endl.
On Saturday, I posted two photos of the Scented Sundew an insectivorous plant. I took these photos late in the afternoon, when the light was not good. They were quick photos, for identification of the flower. Heading back out on Sunday, in better light and with the aim of taking better photos, I discovered they were … Continue reading Climbing Sundew Drosera macrantha Endl.
Scented Sundew: Drosera whittakeri ssp. aberrans
The wild flowers are just starting to emerge! How exciting! This week, the Nodding Greenhoods began to show and today we noticed very tiny white flowers coming up in places on the recently mown grass behind our garden beds. Tell-tale sticky red hairs covering the leaves revealed it was an insectivorous plant, and further research … Continue reading Scented Sundew: Drosera whittakeri ssp. aberrans
Nodding Greenhoods Are Emerging
It’s fantastic to see the Nodding Greenhoods emerging again. This was the first species of Australian Native Orchid I had ever seen. When we first moved in they were flowering, in large patches right across our property. Hopefully they will do the same this year, but so far we have a few scattered along … Continue reading Nodding Greenhoods Are Emerging
Acacia Tree in Bloom
Our Acacia tree is in full bloom at the moment. This tree has obviously been planted by one of the previous owners, and the cheerful yellow blossom stands out against the grey-green eucalypts. I’m enjoying it immensely.
November Wildflowers: Part 1
The last month of Spring seems to be the peak flowering period for Australian native plants that grow around here. In November they were the most spectacular, as well as the most plentiful. Leading into this month, rainfall had been good, the dam was full, and the ground moist. The late Spring sun shone down … Continue reading November Wildflowers: Part 1
October Wild Flowers – Part 3
Thank you to KMS who left a comment on my Cranberry Heath post, including a link to the VicVeg website. What a fantastic breakthrough. This wonderful website allows me to search by flower colour, location within Victoria, and type of plant (herb, tree, shrub etc) meaning, I have finally been able to put names to … Continue reading October Wild Flowers – Part 3
Stepping Outside the Boundary Fence
Apart from the occasional ‘self-sufficiency’ post, I try to keep the focus of my blog to the land outside our house, but inside the boundary fence. However, the native heath flowering in the Enfield State Park is so beautiful, I thought I would share it with you. We just happened to be driving past on … Continue reading Stepping Outside the Boundary Fence
Cranberry Heath
In between documenting the native flowers on the property month by month, I’m pausing to post a flower we have open right now. It is a tiny plant – not much taller than lichen – and it is growing in only one spot on our dam bank, as far as I can tell. I’ve looked … Continue reading Cranberry Heath
Greenhouse Cucumbers
Pollinating the cucumber flowers while the plants are locked in the greenhouse, away from insects, turned out to be a non-issue. The plants we chose are self pollinating. That’s pure luck – no forethought involved at all. It’s now possible to see the baby cucumbers growing on the vine. The yellow flowers are a beautiful … Continue reading Greenhouse Cucumbers
October Wildflowers: Part 2
I’m discovering that identifying wildflowers is very time-consuming. Our two field guides cover wildflowers from all over Australia, with multiple variations on most species. Looking at the small illustrations or photographs in the field guides, often nothing looks exactly the same as the wildflowers I have found. However, by looking at locations they are found, … Continue reading October Wildflowers: Part 2
October Wildflowers – Part 1
Colourful flowers, including some Native Orchids caught my uneducated eye in October, as I began to investigate the bushland a bit more closely. Wax-lip Orchid (Orcidaceae Glossodia Major) The beautiful colour and form of the Wax-lip Orchid made them highly visible against the greens, yellows and whites of almost everything surrounding them. Dillwynia Many different … Continue reading October Wildflowers – Part 1
September Wildflowers – A Beginning
Helen commented on A Family of Four, reflecting on the way kangaroos were affecting the number of wild flowers in South Australia. This has inspired me to go back and keep a month by month record of the native flowers I have photographed since we moved in. This will build into an index of flowers … Continue reading September Wildflowers – A Beginning
Our Greenhouse Vegetables
Our greenhouse vegetables are growing beautifully. We’ve already harvested and eaten the radishes, which were delicious. The lettuce, carrots and beetroot are developing well, and it won’t be long before we begin to harvest these too. Lettuce and root vegetables are pretty straight forward – plant the seeds, water, and wait. However, the cucumber plant … Continue reading Our Greenhouse Vegetables
A Tiny Native Orchid
We have been trying to identify some of the small birds which hide in the undergrowth and treetops. Among the methods we use is to sit in the bush listening for their calls. Yesterday, while doing this, Richard spotted our first Autumn Native Orchid. So far I have not been able to identify it precisely, … Continue reading A Tiny Native Orchid
What a difference a little rain makes!
We haven’t had a lot of rain, but in the last few weeks, we’ve had scattered showers here and there over a number of days. Measured in millimetres, it wasn’t very much, but measured in newly growing native plants in the bushland, it has been extremely valuable water in our crunchy dry bushland. For a … Continue reading What a difference a little rain makes!
First Autumn Flower
Over Summer the ground has been so dry that we haven’t had any native flowers blooming. This is the first one I’ve spotted in Autumn. Although I’m sure it is some kind of pink heath, I can’t match it to any of the images in my field guides to Australian flowers. Right now, it doesn’t … Continue reading First Autumn Flower
Setting-up the Greenhouse
Over the last couple of weeks, we have began to use the greenhouse. First, to hospitalise plants that were burned in the severe heat, and then to raise seedlings in punnets. Thanks to family help, we also have one of the raised garden beds filled with soil, and have directly planted it with seeds as … Continue reading Setting-up the Greenhouse
Arhodia lasiocamparia
I’m starting to look more closely at leaves, bark and buds in an attempt to work out the precise mix of tree species on our land. Often it is clear that something has been munching on the leaves and if so, I am beginning to look for caterpillars and larvae. There are still so many … Continue reading Arhodia lasiocamparia
Regeneration
In November, when we built our new fence (to form part of the cat enclosure) we had to radically prune a few plants, including the beautiful Banksia Rose, a large daisy bush and the jasmine. In particular, the Banksia Rose was reduced to a stump, and I feared we’d killed it. Less than four … Continue reading Regeneration
Tall Sundew – Carnivorous plant
I took this photo in November, and was unable to identify the name of the flower. In my many Google searches to find the species of a caterpillar for a post, I came across a brochure called “Threatened Species of Central Victoria” designed for school children by the Koala Connect project, through the Australian Koala … Continue reading Tall Sundew – Carnivorous plant
Fifteen Acres 