Bronlyn and I would like to take continue sharing our journey with you. Below is a visual feast of the best of close to 2000 images we shot in the Western Australian wheatbelt between Kalbarri National Park north of Geraldton and Lesueur National Park just 100km or so north of Perth. Place names like Perenjori, Mullewa and Mingenew resonate with flower chasers in the west. And the Western Flora Caravan Park 22 km north of Eneabba is famous for its amateur (but not amateurish) proprieter, Allan Tinker who for decades has been taking visitors on free afternoon wildflower walks around his property and tag-along 4WD trips across the flower studded sand plains towards the coast. We were to enjoy both...and with the benefit of Bronlyn's sister Jillian and husband Gary's 4WD we were able to explore the rougher tracks around the wheatbelt, including especially Eneabba and Lesueur National Park, a renowned botanical hot spot despite the poor soils.
Scientific names are given when known, as there is sometimes no common name. If you click (or double click) on pictures, you will see them magnified, but this may mean you don't have labels or text. The text, however, is kept to a minimum...for if flowers could talk, the strange and beautiful diversity here in the west should be enough to communicate to you just a sample of what has been blowing our minds for the last few weeks. If you have never been here in WA for the wildflower season, our message to you is "do it!". You will not be disappointed.
Contrary to rumours, Bronlyn has taken a large proportion of the flower close-ups...she asked me to put that bit in. ;-)
Enjoy...Gary and Bronlyn Schoer and enjoyed with Jillian and Gary Braybon.
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Lachnostachys
eriobotrya (Lambswool)
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Beaufortia aestiva
(Sand Bottlebrush) Red
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Beaufortia aestiva
(Sand Bottlebrush) Yellow
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Isopogon divergens
(Spreading Cornflower)
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Calytrix brevifolia
(Short-leaved Starflower)
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Anthocercis littorea
(Yellow Tailflower)
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Grevillea commutata
(Sandhill Grevillea) and an exploring Jewel Beetle
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Diplolaena
grandiflora (Murchison Rose) bloomed everywhere on the Kalbarri cliffs
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| Kalbarri Cliffs |
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Lawrencella
davenportii (Sticky Rverlasting)
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Lechenaultia
linarioides (Yellow Lechenaultia). This is related to the Wreath flowers you will see later in Perenjori section of blog.
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Verticordia picta
(painted Featherflower)
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Grevillea
leucopteris (White Plume Grevillea)
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Xylomelum
augustifolium (Sandplain Woody Pear)
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Pityrodia terminalis
(Native Foxglove)
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Grevillea
petrophiloides (Pink Pokers)
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Grevillea paradoxa
(Bottlebrush Grevillea)
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Pityrodia terminalis
(Native Foxglove)
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| Foxglove and Conostylis "Garden". Bronlyn often saw these photo opportunities of mixed species |
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| Small everlasting daisy garden |
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Finding our first, lone Leschenaultia
macrantha (Wreath leschentaulia). A perevious enthusiast makes it easy to find on the dirt.
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Leschenaultia macrantha (Wreath leschentaulia)
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Another more bountiful Wreath Flower site. The dog was looking for a nice loo! Rack off!
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Green Mulla Mullas next to wheatfield
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Green Mulla Mullas
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| The locals sent us here for a everlasting carpet display...one of rare such ones we saw in WA |
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| Typical detail of this natural everlasting "explosion" |
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| Who cares what this pink everlasting is called! |
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Caladenia flava
(Cowslip Orchid): Look closely and orchids could be anywhere!
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| Typical "Ribbon of Green" through the wheatfields. In such places wildflowers abound. Bigger "nature reserves" are also found in the wheatfields. |
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| A Xanthorrhoea or Grasstree in a typical wheatfield landscape |
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| A group of Boronias |
And so to Eneabba's Western Flora caravan park and the guidance of Allan Tinker
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| Verticordia nobilis (Featherflowers unique to WA) |
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Allan Tinker teaching Jillian a fine point about a native plant
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Caladenia longicauda
(White Spider Orchid)
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Thelymitra
antennifera (Lemon-scented Sun Orchid)
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| Xanthorrhoea in sand country on Eneabba tag-along trip |
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| Allan demonstrating how a bird gets pollinated searching for nectar in ... |
Leptosema aphyllum (Ribbon Pea)
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Stylidium calcaratum
(Book Triggerplant)
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Ants View Anigozanthos manglesii (Mangles' Kangaroo Paw)
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Anigozanthos Kangaroo Paw (hybrid)
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Anigozanthos
manglesii (Mangles' Kangaroo Paw)
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? Calytrix
eneabbenesis Eneabba Starflower
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Banksia hookeriana
(Hooker's Banksia)
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Gary and Bronlyn in a grove of Banksia
hookeriana (Hooker's Banksia)
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Verticordia grandis
(Scarlet Featherflower)
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Eremaea
beaufortioides (Sticky Eremaea)
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Petrophile
macrostachya (Long-eared Petrophile)
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| Species inknown...just liked the leaf patterns! |
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Isotropis sp?...a type of native pea
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| Unidentified banksia flower |
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Eucalyptus accedens
(Powder Bark)...a common tree on stony laterite ridges around Eneabba
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Darwinia virescens
(Murchison Darwinia)
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To a Botanical Hotspot: Lesueur National Park
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| Wheatfield near Lesueur National Park |
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Kennedia eximia, an unusual creeping pea flower
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| Conostylis sp. I took this for the colours! |
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Johnsonia pubescens
(Pipe Lily)
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Alyogyne huegelii
(Lilac Hibiscus)
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| Typical Lesueur National Park landscape. Note the Acorn Banksia in foreground |
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Isopogon dubius
(Pincushion coneflower)...or are they botanical drones out for a night fight?
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| Dryandra buds These are now called Banksias due to similar "proteoid" root systems where symbiotic bacteria aid in absorption of scarce soil nutrients. |
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| A pink-flowering gum (of some sort?) |
And just a few more....
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| A Twining Fringe Lily |
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| Gary and Jillian getting botanical with Acorn banksias |
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| A lull between the photography...surrounded bu bush at Eneabba |
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| And Allan Tinker on free wildflower walk at Eneabba...enjoy your well deserved retirement from the place you and your wife have created. |
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| The best Verticordia grandis of the trip...well spotted Jillian |
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| If I saw ANOTHER |
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Banksia menziesii
(Firewood banksia)...well...I will just take another photo!
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And you are probably sick of the names by now, so just enjoy these last few!!
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| Add caption |
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| One of our very last plants in the Wheat belt...The Southern Cross plant...what more patriotic way to wrap up this armchair journey. By for now. Bronlyn will wrap up with our trip back east across the Nullarbor...soon...now to enjoy the ambience of Streaky Bay near Ceduna. |
Magnificent work Gary and Bronlyn.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased you threw in a few orchids.
Those other plants are just bizarre.
Going to flick the link on to a new neighbour of mine who is a sand-groper.
It will make her want to go back to the West, probably.