Welcome to Life Images by Jill

Welcome to Life Images by Jill.........Stepping into the light and bringing together the images and stories of our world. I am a photographer, writer and multi-media artist.
Focussing mainly on Western Australia and Australia, I am seeking to preserve images and memories of the beautiful world in which we live and the people in it.

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Monday 1 December 2014

A walk through Ambergate Reserve, Busselton, Western Australia

pea flower growing over grass tree
In late October we visited with new friends who we had met at Mt Augustus in the Pilbara during our July tripThey only live about 45 minutes south of us. 

I had been wanting to visited Ambergate Reserve at Busselton and they were happy to come along for the bush walk. It was spring time and the area was ablaze with wildflowers along the four kilometre bush trail. I wonder if they realised what they were putting themselves in for  - it was spring, the wildflowers were fantastic,and I had my camera with me!

Only 9km from Busselton, Ambergate Reserve is a 75 hectare remnant of the southern Swan coastal plain woodland, much of which is now cleared.  The Reserve contains a wide variety of vegetation types and includes both natural and artificial wetland area.
 
To read more please click on "read more"!
 The woodlands are a mixture of banksia, jarrah and marri trees and over 360 plant species. In 1987 the Shire of Busselton appointed the Busselton Naturalists Club as managers of the Ambergate Reserve.

Velleia 

Located on the four corners of the Queen Elizabeth Avenue and Doyle Road crossroads, the 4km walk trail commences at an information shelter at the carpark where you can pick up a brochure. Visitors are asked to walk through a "boot bath" before starting the walk. This prevents the spread of jarrah dieback fungus.  Each of the four sections can be walked individually. Identification plaques along the way will help you with some plant identification. After our walk we had a picnic near the carpark, but if you intend to do this please bring your own chairs as there are no picnic facilities.

The Ambergate area was one of the Group Settlement Scheme areas during the 1920s, and named Ambergate by the early settlers.

There are a huge variety of wildflower species in this small patch of bushland, some of which you can see below .....

One of the creeping pea flowers -
 

Almost "fluro" green kangaroos paws. There are a number of different varieties of kangaroo paws, all different colours, but I had never seen one quite this colour before. Really stunning.



Pixie mops

One of the Coneflower varieties





One of the spider orchid family.



There are textures too.... grass tree - the red in the bottom corner is the inside of a grass tree. Just above it is the Semaphore Sedge.


Our friend showed us how as children they used to "pop" these seed heads....a bit like popping corn....
It was wonderful to go to Ambergate with our new friends for a few hours of wildflower bliss (for me at least) and catching up over our picnic afterwards. Thanks guys for your extreme patience!


Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed this little walk through Ambergate. If you live in the south west you should visit next spring.  Just be careful of snakes....although we didn't see any, they do live in this bush area.

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful week.

Common Milkwort
I am linking up to Mosaic Monday, Our World Tuesday, Wednesday Around the World, Travel Photo Thursday, and What's It Wednesday.  Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

Mosaic Monday
Our World Tuesday
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global
What's It Wednesday
Travel Photo Thursday

You might also like -

Midwest Everlasting magic
How to take great wildflower photos

49 comments:

  1. You have beautiful and unique wildflowers in your country Jill and I was happy to recognize the kangaroo paws.
    Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday.

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  2. The blossoms are so fantastic that I felt like I was walking with you through a well-kept botanical garden!

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    1. I thought we might have been too late for the wildflowers this year, but the timing could hardly have been more perfect.

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  3. Jill, what a beautiful walk! The flowers are all lovely! And your photos are gorgeous! Have a happy week!

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  4. These flowers are so pretty and since it's cold and dreary here how nice to see them!

    Beautiful photos : )

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  5. Beautiful, vivid and bright. Your photography is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  6. I've never heard of this reserve, so thanks for the heads-up. The wildflowers looked stunning. I'm so cross with us because we seem not to have done any wildflower walks this season and your gorgeous pics remind me of what we've been missing. I love your collages using the same colours and flowers from different perspectives.

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    1. I don't know if it is very well known Jo, but it is certainly well worth visiting, and not far off the Busselton-Dunsborough bypass road. You can do the whole walk or just part of it. We are yet to do the second half. Next year!

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  7. Australia has some of the most unique and fascinating flowers. The reserve sounds like a good place for photographs and nature viewing.

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    1. We are particularly lucky here in Western Australia. Thousands of varieties. I feel really lucky to be right amongst them in the south west.

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  8. Sensational Jill! So many varieties of gorgeous wildflowers. I think the green Kangaroo Paws were my favourite.

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  9. Jill greetings from Dubai! I loved your images and the colours are lovely..each and everyone of them and what variety.Really enjoyed going through your blog. Have a great week ahead! Will be back soon...

    Shantana

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Shantana. It was nice to meet you over on your blog.

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  10. These are such beautiful and unique wildflowers...really lovely!

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  11. Oh! each is so beautiful. I love the focus in each. This is the first time I am seeing kangaroo paws.

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed them Indrani. There are many colours of Kangaroo Paws. The typically Western Australian ones, our state floral emblem, are red and green.

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  12. How lovely and colourful!

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  13. Hi Linda, this is my first time visiting your blog....I really enjoy all the beautiful, breath-taking photos. I will come back for more. Thank you.

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed visiting my blog Nancy. You are welcome any time.

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  14. Hi Jill, so sorry for my mistake...I greeted you as Linda. Please accept my apology. I came to your blog through Linda's.

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  15. Sensational! The variety of shapes and colours is just awesome (yes, there ARE some times when that overused word IS appropriate)! To me, nothing says 'Australia' like Kangaroo Paw and the Sturt's Desert Pea, but Leschenaultia can actually take my breath away! Hope your week is going great!

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    1. ah yes, you have mentioned a few iconic Australian wildflowers there Red. Everyone spectacular in their own way. You can see the Leschenaultia over on my side bar. Did you know there is also a red variety?

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    2. Do you mean the Wreath Leschenaultia? I got to see it (just starting) in 2012 in Perenjori and Carnamah. Magic!

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    3. yes, the Wreath Leschenaultia is spectacular - there is a pic of it on my sidebar. But no, I mean the Red Leschenaultia - also a prostrate plant.

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  16. Dear Jill, I just love your pictures! Your macros are great!
    And I love you have summer down there, I'd like a little bit of warm weather here, but it snowed today ;-( ... although, the kids loved it.
    All the best, I'll have a look from time to time,
    Ioana

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  17. thank you Felicia. There are many spider orchid varieties, each a little different.

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  18. Gosh you have spoilt us today with so many beautiful photos. I think you chose a wonderful one for the opening photo - such detail. I hope when we visit W.A. it will be wildflower season. :)

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  19. What a lovely collection of flower shots! Beautiful.

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  20. A great place for a keen photographer, no doubt! Love the orchid, the grass tree, ...
    Thank you for shearing!

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  21. Wow, you seriously have the most stunning nature photography I've ever seen, simply gorgeous! Thanks for linking up at #TPThursday!:-)

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    1. thank you so much Jess. I really do love wildflower photography. I haven't done as much this year as I would have liked.

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  22. Hello Jill,
    Breathtaking! Your blog is therapeutic.
    Anyes
    xx

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    1. thankyou so much Anyes for your lovely comment. I am very happy that you are enjoying my blog.

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  23. So many flowers and all beautiful in their own way. So many are very delicate looking and some are very interesting. Most I have never seen. I love seeing what you have discovered.

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  24. Hi Jill, You shots are gorgeous. I would love to visit Australia again during during wild flower season. You can hold the snakes! Thanks for linking up this week. #TPThursday

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  25. I spent some time in hospital Tuesday and Wednesday and so I am trying to make some visits. So happy not to have missed this share. All of the colours are those that I find compliment my home garden. Such a beautiful variety of flowers. I imagine those with fragrances, filled the air with beauty as well. Hugs~

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  26. Wow, these are stunning! I can tell we are at opposite seasons ;)

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  27. Wait till I show the kids we are famous! I can't believe I saw those same flowers as you, you present them so beautifully. We really love all things bush, walking with our friends included!

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  28. These are some amazing flowers. Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all.

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  29. The pixie mops are my favorite. It's such a whimsical name but perfectly suits the blooms. How did you learn so much about identifying wildflowers? In Texas, I know a few of the major ones, but one post from you far exceeds the total amount of knowledge I have about my area's native plants.

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  30. I am as equally intrigued by the names of the flowers as by the flowers themselves --especially kangaroo paws and pixie mops!

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  31. What an amazing place to visit...gorgeous photos, Jill.

    And I love your name, too : )

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  32. It's a pleasure to see your pretty flowers as we head into winter here.

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  33. What a marvelous walk Jill... so much to see and discover! Your macros of the wildflowers are simply stunning. Most of these flowers I've never seen before... I can't help but stare at how intricate they each are.

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    1. yes our Western Australian wildflowers are truly magnificent in their massive number of varieties.

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  34. Oh my goodness, your photography skills really shine out in this post Jill. I could swim in the purple flowers.

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  35. What a great collection of wildflowers and so happy to see many I've never set eyes on before. Ambergate reserve looks like the perfect place to spend Spring or a quiet walk. Your photos are just beautiful and really brighten anyone's day. Love that spider orchid family!

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  36. Wonderful set of pictures - there are so many different ways to be a flower!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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I hope you have enjoyed your visit to my blog. Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to comment. I read and very much appreciate every comment and love hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return.