Archive for the 'Plants' Category

Wildflowers, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park

Wildflowers, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria

Sydney Trip June 2010

On our wanderings through Hattah-Kulkyne National Park I not only had my head held up looking for birds to photograph, I also looked around on the ground – well, below eye level, anyway – for any bushes and trees in flower. My wife spotted this beautiful example of an Atriplex plant (we’re not sure which species), a member of the saltbush family of plants.

It’s a very attractive plant, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Wildflowers, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Sydney Trip June 2011

On our way home from visiting family in Sydney earlier this year we stopped for a short break in the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens, just a short detour from the main road through the city. We only stayed long enough to have a quick bite to eat, a refreshing cuppa and to have a brief look at some of the flowers blooming in the gardens. Yesterday I showed some of the photos I took; today I add a few more, including some beautiful grevilleas.

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens


Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Sydney Trip June 2011

On our way home from visiting family in Sydney last June our route took us through the provincial city of Wagga Wagga. Except for one occasion we have generally driven straight through the city on our way to Sydney, or on our way home. On one occasion we did stay over one night but didn’t see much of the city. We must rectify that someday and really investigate this wonderful place.

Several times we have stopped for a meal or a short break, usually heading for the botanic gardens which are a short two minute drive from the main route through the CBD. On this occasion it was getting late in the afternoon and was very cold, but we decoded to stop for a cuppa anyway. we also needed a toilet break, and to change drivers.

Despite the late hour I was able to get a few quick photos of some of the plants and flowers in bloom. despite it being mid-winter there were some highlights which I will show today and tomorrow.

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens

Lameroo, South Australia

Lake Roberts, Lameroo, South Australia

Earlier this year my wife and I drove from our home in Murray Bridge in South Australia to Sydney in New South Wales. We were going there to play with our precious grandson – oh, and see our son and daughter in law. On our first day of travelling we left early and reached Lameroo in the Murray Mallee region of eastern South Australia.

We stopped at our favourite place on the edge of town at Lake Roberts. Here we had morning tea and a cuppa. The sunshine was lovely but the breeze was bitterly cold. I managed a few photos of the local birds before we headed east again. We had a great distance to cover before bed time.

Grain silos, Lameroo, South Australia

Lameroo is a small town in a prominent farming region. The main agricultural pursuits are wheat and barley crops with potatoes grown at nearby Parilla. Many farmers also run sheep and cattle on their farms.

After leaving Lameroo we continued driving for about an hour and half before finding a convenient roadside parking area where we stopped to have a picnic lunch. There was a interesting patch of scrub next to the car park, complete with a short walking trail featuring a good range of local native flora (see photo below). This was of particular interest to my wife but the bird life was keeping a low profile and rather quiet so I didn’t get a long list species seen in this location.

Roadside walking trail between Lameroo and Ouyen

 

Edithburgh Nature Reserve

Eucalyptus erythrocorys (red-capped gum), Edithburgh Nature Reserve

On the last morning of our recent holiday on the Yorke Peninsula we stopped for about an hour to wander through the Edithburgh Nature Reserve. This reserve, set up and maintained by a local community group, has been a focus of ours every time we visit the small coastal town. The reserve is at the western end of the main street and is open at all times to the public. Several excellent gravel paths suitable for wheelchairs meander through the reserve.

The reserve is not great for checking out a wide range of Australian Native Plants which interest my wife, it is also a good place within the town to see many of the local bush birds. Being only about 500 metres from the coast it is also possible to record a few sea birds flying overhead. My brother in law used to live opposite this park so we know it and its inhabitants quite well.

Apart from the birds I also enjoy the challenge of taking photos of wildflowers. I’ve dedicated this post to the plants in flower that we saw.

Calothamnus quadrifidus (one-sided bottlebrush), Edithburgh Reserve

Grevillea flower, Edithburgh Nature Reserve

Hakea laurina, Edithburgh Nature Reserve, Yorke Peninsula

Edithburgh Nature Reserve, Yorke Peninsula