Down in the "bush" (the woods) this week

 I love to get out in the bush, especially when the wildflowers are out, which is why I love spring in Western Australia. 

In fact there are more than 12,000 species of wildflowers in Western Australia, making it the world's largest collection. You can see some of this amazing array over on my blog post The wildflower hunter

You will always find something flowering somewhere, whatever the season - if not it is lovely to be out in the bush anyway....

However I was a little surprised today to find that the Clematis and waterbush which was flowering in late September had completely finished when we went up to the bush in the hills east of Harvey today. Spring is slowly fading. 

But as I said, there is always something flowering and something new to discover, which was true today. 

For instance I had never realised the flowers of the Tassel flower - Leucopogon verticillatus - are in fact tiny stars - so lovely 

And that the blue Scented sun orchid - Thelymitra macrophylia - can be found here if you open your eyes. I'd never seen them here before. Beautiful aren't they. 

There were also yellow Hibbertias scattered here and there - a burst of yellow

And the little trigger plants - Stylidium - flowering everywhere in the gravel were a delight. The flowers about 15mm long. 

The trigger serves as a agent in the pollination process - when an insect lands on the flower to sip the nectar the trigger is activated depositing pollen on the back of the insect, which then visits another flower. You can read more about it here : Australian plants on line. I didn't know there are 132 known species in Australia. 

You can see the trigger before and after it has been activated in this pic here.

Here is another of the little trigger flowers - although this one is seen in a bushland reserve about 15 minutes drive from where we live - more about this place in another post to come. 

Here is the last of the Prickly Hakea - Hakea amplexicaulis - 

And if there is nothing flowering there are always leaves and bracken fern - Pteridium esculentum - a terrestrial native fern

or gum leaves - even dried ones are great subjects 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed this little wander in the bush today. 

I also hope you and your familes are safe and doing well in these difficult times. It is so important to get out and walk and do something you enjoy don't you think. I still have another 2 weeks in my cast and am looking forward to being free again. Typing one handed is s slow! In the meantime. I am grateful to my old model point and shoot that is allowing me to continue taking photos. 

What are you doing to keep staying healthy and positive? Perhaps you would like to share in your comments. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.  

You might also like: 

The wildflower hunter

Western Australian wildflowers

Photographing wildflowers

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!

All Seasons 
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

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.

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 Mondoñedo 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!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

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.

A walk in the bush with my 50mm lens

On the weekend I had the opportunity to go bushwalking. It really is wonderful to get away from suburbia and be immersed in the clean crisp air and the quietness of the bush. And best of all to take my camera with me. For me this is a great way to forget about, for a time at least, whatever else is going on in the world out there. 

I took with me my 50mm lens for my camera. By taking only this one lens with its fixed focal length I was forced to look at things differently. I couldn't zoom in, and I couldn't take macro photos but there was still plenty I could do. 

Being still winter, the wildflowers haven't opened yet, but the buds are forming and getting ready to burst into flower. The plant below is called water bush - bossiaea aquifolium. It has yellow flowers and the leaves cup any falling rain and shower it on you if you brush past. There was a little caterpillar on one of the leaves.

Below is the Prickly Hakea - Hakea amplexicaulis. Can you see the bud in the middle of the last leaf? The flowers form in the centre of each of those leaves coming up the stem. These will still be a couple of months before they flower.

Below is one of the Banksias. I took this photo from below the tree looking up. Near this tree I spied a new banksia pushing up through the leaf litter.

 More leaves

Don't discount the browns

And looking up. It had clouded over when I took this photo, but I rather like the affect.

 And catching the light

And playing with some creative blur

And photographing into the light.

Do you have a 50mm lens? If you "google" there are lots of places on the net where you can find out more information about using your 50mm lens. Here are a couple I found.

Digital Photography School - 5 Creative Uses for the Super Versatile 50mm lens
 Audreyannphoto - Tips for using a 50mm lens

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.  

You might also like -
Enjoying the Australian bush 
Down in the woods today 
Celebration of the Australian Banksia

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!

   
All Seasons
Mosaic Monday 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit and 50 Shades of Age
Little Things Thursday

Life in Reflection

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.

If you are a blogger you can link up to Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global right here!

An InLinkz Link-up