Flora Friday in Oz: February 2014

Friday, February 14, 2014

Water Lilies - Austral Water Gardens - Cowan

I was last here in January 2013, then, the temperature reached 45 C (113 F) and the flowers started to burn and go brown. This time it was a lot cooler and overcast after some badly needed early morning rain.

Not many of to-days photos will be named as labels on the plants were a little scarce, or maybe I just couldn't see them.

Click on photos to enlarge.

The colours of watermelon and hyacinth.

One of the 'tropical' types.

Nymphoides Spinulosperma - Water Fringe Lily

Look carefully and you will see another frog's nose sticking out between the pink petals in the bottom right.

Pontederia cordata - Pickerel Weed

"I can just reach the bottom"

Red Stemmed Water Milfoil

A touch of gold from the tropics.

4 are better than 2

Looks nice enough to eat (I wouldn't recommend it though).

This Azolla looks like green snowflakes.

Yellow on pink.

Yellow casting black shadow.

Some leaves are a colourful bonus.

The flowers of this plant (ginger?) add contrast.

Hot pink suits this little lodger.

Lotus in four episodes. 1. Flower

2. Flower finishing, fruit forming.

3. Seed pods forming.

4. Seeds ripened.

May the Gods smile upon you.

Flowers of a Bladderwort.

Nearly perfect.

Not so perfect, lichen on a light post.

Liquid and gold.

Papyrus flower head.

Pink reflections.

Pitcher plant.

"Just checking to see what I'll look like".

Green and white flames of a Variegated Sweet Flag flicker behind Lotus leaves.

Lost amongst the leaves.

Canna Glauca Endeavour

Just waking up.

FEATHERS, FUR and FANG. Some Of The Wildlife Seen Today.

The Gold Miners.
Native Stingless Bees collecting pollen.

Damsel Fly

A teenage frog checks out a new pad.

Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog, Eastern Sedge Frog, Green Reed Frog. (Litoria fallax)

Friday, February 7, 2014

Snippets From the South Coast - Plus the Snowy.

These were taken over a 4 day period on a 5 day trip to the south coast of New South Wales and then across to the Snowy Mountains high country.

As we were going to be on the coast I was going to concentrate on sea weeds and the like, but instead of the 3 to 5 hours in the one spot as I usually do, travelling all day wouldn't allow this. Even when I did find a rock pool there wasn't the variety I was hoping for, this will have to wait for another day.

Native flowers were scarce,well at least until we reached the Snowy and even there they were in small numbers , so this post covers a more diverse group of subjects, locations and 'styles'(more of the whole plant, native, exotic and feral growing in the landscape) than I usually do. Also, not all plants are named as, well, I don't know what they are.

All the 'happy snaps' from this trip can be seen at 'Gumnuts and Other Stuff'.

Neptune's Necklace Hormosira banksii.
The only 'seaweed' I photographed. At Mossy Point.

Lomandra sp. and Westringia fruticosa - Coastal Rosemary, growing out of the rock.
At Mossy Point.

I think this grass just growing out of the rock in the same location as above is native.
Looks looks like a Poa sp.

Pelargonium australe - Native Storksbill, Native Geranium.
Narooma.

A wind-swept Allocasuarina/Casuarina sp. at Tarthra.

Araucaria heterophylla - Norfolk Island Pine. Various Locations This Pine can be found planted in most coastal towns in NSW. I remember these trees from my childhood planted in beach towns with the square picket fence (usually painted white) around them.

Typical coastal thicket of (I think) Melaleuca sp. Eden.

An exotic Pine planted at Narooma.

One of the dominant 'gum' trees seen on the south coast was Corymbia maculata (syn. Eucalyptus maculata) - Spotted Gum. Narooma. When I Googled the species most images of it were as 'floor-boards.

I think this bright yellow daisy is native. Eden

Daucus carota - Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Carrot, Birds' Nest.
This garden escapee (feral) plant was seen growing along the road side in a lot of areas not far from the coast. Moruya.

A very nice flower specimen of the feral Verbena (bonariensis ?) - Purple Top.
Moruya.

The following 7 photos are garden plants taken in the little historic village of Central Tilba.

Lilium lancifolium (syn: Lilium tigrinum) - Tiger Lily.

Pelagonias (ivy-leaved geranium), climbing rose, hibiscus and native violets.

Climbing rose.

Hibiscus.

Alstroemeria psittacina - New Zealand Christmas Bell, Parrotlily, Parrot Flower, Red Parrot Beak, , Inca Lily.

Limonium perezii - Statice, Sea Lavender.

Marigolds.

Amaryllis belladonna - Belladonna Lily, Naked Lady, Jersey Lily, March Lily. Eden.

Lomandra sp.
Cooling reflection in 38C (100F) temperatures. Rockton.

Slowly Disappearing.
Farmland skyline, Rock Flat Creek.

Grasses in sheep country, Dalgety.

A collection (of 3) from the top and above the tree line of the Snowy Mountains.

left: Chionogentias muelleriana subsp. alpestris - Mountain Gentian, Snow Gentian.

middle: Prasophyllum alpestre - Highland Leek-orchid.

t/r: Pentachondra pumila - Carpet Heath

b/r: Senecio sp. - Groundsel.

Clockwise from left: Craspedia sp. - Billy-buttons.
Leucochrysum albicans subsp. alpinum - Alpine Sunray, Snow Daisies
Acaena novae-zelandia - Bidgee-widgee.
not sure

Eucalyptus sp. - Snow Gum.

Top left: not sure
bottom left: Prostanthera cuneata - Alpine Mint-bush.
middle: Wahlenbergia sp. - Native Bluebell.
left: Richea continentalis - Candle Heath.