Am happy to report 40mm of rain over the past week, though decidedly chilly. This has been accompanied by a splendid burst of flowering amongst the native plants - the Pincushion Hakea and Grevillea in particular are loaded with blooms. If you're looking for a drought-resistant, flowering native shrub up to 3 metres tall it's hard to go past Grevillea 'Flora Mason'. It blooms generously and long - a feast for all nectar lovers (and those that feed on them), such as this Black-scaped Bull Ant (Myrmecia nigriscapa). Bull Ants feed on nectar and honeydew, but their larvae are carnivores. Another Western Australian beauty is the Oak-leaf Dryandra (Dryandra quercifolia). A member of the Protea family, this shrub has unusual flowers and rather stiff leaves that resemble Oak leaves and give this plant its common name. All of the moisture and cool dampness has led to an eruption of fungi. I don't think I'll be frying up either of these for dinner though - I took advantage of a few hours of sunshine to check out the action at one of the bird baths. The Striated Thornbill is tiny but feisty. It's the only small bird I've seen that submerges itself in the water - a very good flea drowning strategy I should think. The Silvereye and Eastern Yellow Robin are a little more conservative and tend to go for multiple quick dips. It's more of a free-for-all where the New Holland Honeyeaters are concerned. As the land turns green, plants flower profusely and birds return for the feast it is a very rich and varied time of plenty on the block.
0 Comments
|
Archives
December 2020
|