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 22 June 2020

Arbor Day - celebration of trees



Last Saturday 20 June was Arbor Day in Australia 2020. 

The day is celebrated on different days around the world. Arbor Day–which literally translates to “tree” day from the Latin origin of the word arbor – is a day which celebrates the planting, upkeep and preservation of trees. 

 The Spanish village of MondoƱedo held the first documented arbor plantation festival in the world organized by its Mayor in 1594.

 The first American Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska by J. Sterling Morton. On April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska.

Arbor Day has been observed in Australia since 20 June 1889.

When I was a child in school, Arbor Day for us was a day to plant trees around our school. 


In the light of the horrific bushfires during the Australian summer of 2019-2020 where thousands of hectares of bushland, farmland, and homes were destroyed, this year more than ever seems to be a time to celebrate and plant trees. 

Whilst we didn't plant any trees, I did sketch the Sea-Urchin Hakea - Hakea petiolaris - at my son's block  - I really love the veins on these leaves.


And on Sunday we went up to the bush. So today I am sharing some images, all taken with my 100mm Macro lens. 

There is something really rejuvenating about walking out in nature don't you think away from the stresses of the world, albeit for a short while.  

We were a bit too early for flowering, but I could see where some wildflowers were starting to bud. 

Below you can see:
- Water Bush - bossiaea aquifolium. The sharp pointed leaves collects rainwater and gives you a shower if you brush by. They are covered in yellow pea flowers in spring.

- The Prickly Hakea - Hakea amplexicaulis - flowers August to October. I love the way the prickly wavy leaves wrap themselves around the stem, and the flowers sit on top of the leaves.
Below is the Snotty Gobble - don't you just love the name! The bark lays in thin red paper like layers. I thought at first there was a fire - but it was just the sunlight shining through the paper thin bark.

The botanical name this small tree is the Persoonia longifolia.  In the Eastern States this tree is referred to as the Geebung. Geebung is an Aboriginal word for the fruit which they use for food and medicine.

The snotty gobble flowers in summer and have fruit the size of blueberries which ripens in autumn and falls in June to July. If I had known this I would have looked around the base of the tree to see if I could find some fruit to taste. 



Fungi
And little mosses growing on fallen logs



 Ferns

Treasures on the forest floor
You have to look carefully to find these tiny orchids - these are from the Greenhood orchid family - Pterostylis 


And marri nuts way up in the canopy- Corymbia calophylla is commonly known as marri, a name derived from the Noongar language of Southwest Australia region



So there you have it - a quick overview of our visit to the bush in the south west of Western Australia on the weekend. 
My tip - bring a kneeling pad and a groundsheet if you want to get down at ground level to take photos.

For more information on Arbor Day -
 History of Arbor Day - USA
Arbor Day Foundation
 National Tree Day - Planet Ark Australia 
 Wikipedia.org - Arbor_Day 

 You might also like:
Down in the Woods today 
Enjoying the Western Australian bush 
Bushwalking at Hoffmans Mill 


Thank you so much for stopping by.  Does your country celebrate Arbor Day - what date is it? And do you do plant trees as part of Arbor Day. Perhaps you would like to share in your comments. 

I hope everyone is well and you and yours are staying safe.  Whilst in Western Australia our numbers of the virus have plateaued, in the Eastern States of Australia numbers unfortunately have spiked this week.  We are in this for the long haul.

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

20 comments:

  1. Hello, Jill,

    A lovely post and photos. Arbor Day in the USA was back April 24th 2020. We planted so many trees in previous years, we do not have room to plant more. I love all your trees, the sketch of the leaves, the fern are lovely and the cool looking fungi. Beautiful natures scenes and photos. Enjoy your day, have a great new week ahead!

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  2. You have some very beautiful photos! The veins in that leaf are so amazing. I think the leaf of a plant sometimes gets shortchanged. The photos of the mushrooms are very good, too. Wishing you a grand week!

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  3. I have planted a tree on Arbor day years ago and like Eileen said, it's in April here in the US. Love this post and the sketch you made of the leaf. I try to get down low for some photos...a kneeling pad would help! Enjoy your week! Hugs!

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  4. You have such an eye for photos. Thanks for taking us along on your trip to the Bush.

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  5. Wonderful photos of your bush trip and always good to know the names of the plants too. I didn't remember that it was Arbor Day but it was a day I loved when I was at school in the 50's and we always planted trees too. I do like that lovely leaf that you sketched and when it stops raining here I am going to check some of my plants' leaves again as I am attempting a new interest of eco-printing onto fabric and diffrent leaves might be interesting.

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  6. A beautiful celebration of these life-givers.

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  7. Once again beautiful pics! I know of the Geebung but I'm delighted at the name 'Snotty Gobble' - I wonder how that came about!

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  8. Snotty Gobble sounds like it should look icky, but it's not. The tree has such rich colored block. I like the way you caught the light reflecting on it.

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  9. It's a wonderful idea, to celebrate the trees. I agree. Thank you for sharing. By the way, we have a special tree in our garden. A Japanischer Kuchenbaum / Katsurabaum / Lebkuchenbaum alias Cercidiphyllum japonicum with red leaves. He is delightful. We love this plant.

    Stay healthy and well.

    PS: sorry, that no translation possibility there for Blogspot... I always searching for. My english vocabular isn't good enough for giving the right comment.

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    1. Hi Erica, if you go to "add a gadget" the translate button is in the list of gadgets. :)

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  10. A lovely collection of trees to celebrate arbor day!
    Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/06/bath-time.html

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  11. Jill - isn't it amazing what you can find to photograph even when flowers are not blooming? I enjoyed our "time" in the bush with you through this post, especially the orchids. Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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  12. ...Jill, I'm with you to celebrate trees, before my retirement I was in the nursery business for 50 years. What would the world be like without trees?

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  13. Hi,
    Thank your for sharing your trip...Awesome pictures.
    Our Arbor day in Indiana is the 3rd Friday of April.
    Have a great day!

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  14. Great photos of the leaves, bark and trees.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade number 8 this week on the Mosaic Monday link up

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  15. What a beautiful post, Jil. Love all your finds and captures in nature. I don't think the USA has an arbor day, but I might be wrong. love the leaf with the shadow on paper. The prickly Hakea looks very interesting - I don't know this plant. So much to see here! Many thanks for sharing it with All Seasons, and have a great weekend and upcoming week, Jesh

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  16. Such a fantastic celebration of Arbor Day! Your photos are just gorgeous an so diverse.

    I'm glad you are a part of 'My Corner of the World' this week! Thanks for linking up.

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  17. hi, it is quite amazing to see your images, because many of the fungi, mosses and fern we have the same ones. At least it looks the same. Beautiful photography :)

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  18. I loved this bush walk Jill... thanks for taking me along...it looks like my kind of day trip getaway! And I absolutely wish I had a snotty gobble tree. If for no other reason than that the name would so impress my great-grandsons! (Sounds like something out of Harry Potter’s favorite candy store! ).

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