Pangarinda Arboretum – more flower photos
Banksia
Yesterday I posted some photos of flowers I have taken at the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington, South Australia. Today I add several more. The above photo of a banksia flower is one of many stunning banksias that have been planted in this arboretum. When in flower they attract dozens of birds, particularly honeyeaters.
Anigozantos flavidus hybrid (Kangaroo Paw)
The plant pictured above is a hybrid form of one of the Kangaroo Paw species native to Western Australia. They are resplendent in the natural habitat, but in recent times they have been grown by a growing number of gardeners in the other states. They get their name from the claw-like appendage on each flower.
Bark on a tree
Some of the larger trees are beginning to develop significantly sized trunks, despite their young age. The tree above was starting to shed the last season’s bark, making way for the new growth. The amazing contrasting coloursand textures in the last rays of sunlight for the day has produced a beautiful effect.
Pangarinda Arboretum
Flowers of a Eucalyptus Tree
One of my enduring passions is birding, or birdwatching. My wife’s passion is Australian plants. So our interests are complementary; I walk through the bush with eyes glancing ever upwards, my wife always looking down looking for plants and their flowers. We both love the Australian outdoors and exploring the wonders of nature that abounds in this wonderful land.
Banksia flower
Sometimes I find myself torn between looking at, identifying and attempting to photograph the birds I see, and the wonderful challenge of taking shots of the wonderful flowers all around. Over the next few days I plan to post a few of the flower photos I have taken at one of our favourite picnic spots, the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington, a small town about half an hour drive from our home in Murray Bridge.
Eucalyptus flowers
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Photo Gallery
No Comments »11th June, 2006; Category: Photos
Bridges at Murray Bridge.
I now have a photo gallery up and running, thanks to my son. From now on I will be posting photos from my travels as well as photos taken around home and nearby. This gallery includes photos of
- my travels
- places I have been
- animals, including reptiles
- birds – water birds, bush birds
- butterflies and other insects
- plants and flowers
- scenery – landscapes, riverscapes and seascapes
- parks and gardens
- transportation
- buildings and structures
- photos taken by my son Sim’
- photos taken by my wife Corinne
To access my photo gallery click here or use the Navigation button on the right.
Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia
Today we travelled south to the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington East. This is about a half hour drive from home here in Murray Bridge. The arboretum is quite close to the River Murray and consists of a series of sandhills overlooking the marina on the eastern side of the river.
The planting of native Australian plants was established over a decade ago by local residents and members of the Australian Plants Society (APS). It is very well established with many 100s of examples of different Australian plants species. Some areas are quite spectacular; I particularly like the area planted up with banksias. These amazing plants have stunning flowers that I have used extensively in my photographic pursuits.
The arboretum is always open to the public; all we ask is that the gates are kept closed at all times – to keep out the rabbits. Rabbits love to chew off the fresh growth on newly planted plants. There are several tracks through the establishment and, although you can drive through, it is far better walking. This way you are able to stop and really appreciate the plants and their beautiful flowers. Don’t forget your camera! At present there are no public toilet facilities but we hope that this should be corrected by the local council soon.
Another reason for taking your time to walk through the plantings is to appreciate the rich birdlife in the area. There are hundreds of honeyeaters, pigeons, finches and a wide cross section of other species present. For a more in depth review of the birds present go to my birding blog by clicking here. Other postings about this place can be found here and here and here and here.
Adelaide Zoo
Last Tuesday we drove to Adelaide for the day. In the morning we took our daughter Rose to to the Adelaide Airport. She flew to Sydney for a conference and to stay with her brother and sister-in-law. After attending to some business and having lunch we went to the Adelaide Zoo.
Many Changes
We had heard that there had been some recent changes at the Adelaide Zoo with the opening of some new exhibits. After we had been there for only a short time we realised that there had been many changes since our last visit several years ago. The new exhibits, although not all yet complete, are great. They enable excellent views of the animals and they continue the trend away from wires and bars to glass viewing areas and overhead walkways. This also makes photography much easier and I was able to get some great shots.
Lions
The lion display is now great. One is able to get within about 2 metres of the lions. I was able to get several close up shots of the male lion looking very regal indeed. It was quite disconcerting to be stared down by a lion at a distance of less than two metres. He was probably trying to assess whether I’d be worth the effort to catch and eat. After all, I’ve recently lost about 11 kilograms in weight. Mmmm. On the down side these photos had to be taken through the usual wire netting. Still – the wire does give one a feeling of safety being so close to such an awesome creature.
Birds
We spent quite a long time in the rainforest aviary. I again managed to get some really fantastic shots of birds close up. It was rather overcast (it had rained heavily as we entered the zoo) so the flash came into its own.
All in all – it was a very pleasant and relaxing three hours wandering through about half of our favourite zoo.