Going for a walk? - take your camera!

 Hi everyone. I hope you are all doing well. Just a short post from me today and a reminder - going for a walk? take your camera! as you never know what you might see that you want to photograph. Your phone might be as good as a camera, but mine is not, but it is better than nothing!

We try to walk every day - and I particularly like walking in the bush. I have always said there is something always flowering in the Australian bush. Did I forget that? Because on Sunday when we went out to one of our favourite walks during spring, Manea Reserve - but it is autumn here now and I only took my small point and shoot camera not expecting to see much other than tall flowering trees. 

Well at least I had a camera, and even though there wasn't much flowering we happened upon a couple of clumps of bunny orchids - Eriochilus.  Looking in my orchid book I think this is the Common bunny orchid - Eriochilus dilatatus - subspecies multiflorus. Particularly as it matches with the month of flowering, the location in jarrah and banksia bushland, and the small single leaf. There are over 1,700 species of orchids found in Australia! 

There are six species and six sub-species of bunny orchids found in the south west of Western Australia. The bunny orchids are the earlliest flowering of the native orchids.  As I didn't have my camera I use for wildflowers, I have had to crop this image. 

As with the majority of Australian native orchids, these are tiny - flowers are 10-15mm long, so you need to have to be looking closely to find them. especially as they blend in so well to the surrounds. 

The other only flowering plant of note which we saw was the Swamp Banksia - Banksia littoralis - which flowers from March to August. The bees were certainly enjoying them, burrowing deep within the flower cones. 

Here you can see some of the stages of the banksia - just starting to flower, flowering, and the cone (nut). I have blogged about them a few times before:

Celebration of the Australian Banksia

Candlestick Banksia - it must be November

When you are in Manea Reserve, please use the foot cleaning station to help curb the spread of dieback which is a sygnificant threat to our native bushland. 

I hope you have enjoyed this little visit to the Manea Reserve today. I have blogged about it before - especially the spring flowering orchids. 

Manea Reserve - December 2021

In search of wild orchids - Manea - September 2011

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. 

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!

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. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Frida

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