Monday, July 14, 2008

Wildflowers

Over the last few days I have been observing some of the wildflowers in the wallum. Over the next few months different species come into full bloom. By summertime the flowering season will have mostly finished. I am not an expert with the names of these flowers. Mostly I am just happy to admire them and take photos. Some of them have wonderful perfume that scents the surrounding bush while others have such delicate perfume that it is hard to detect.

I hope this will be the first post of a series about wildflowers in my area. Please correct any mistakes that I make – that is the only way to learn!

This flower picture was taken down at the Seary's Creek Picnic area. There were massed plants blooming in sheets of golden colour. Much of this area is damp and even swampy. (I think the plant is Dillwynia floribunda.) N.B.Thanks to the folks who made suggestions. I have done some checking and would now ID this plant as Pultenaea paleacea. As to the little nectar eating insect – I think it is possibly a native bee. Thanks to the other Australian nature bloggers who have made me interested in photographing “bugs and bities”!

This flower comes from a different habitat – up on a ridge where it is drier. It was identified for me when I first came to this area as Boronia rosmarinifolia – or Forest Boronia. It is not a very common species and I know of only two places in my area where it grows.

5 comments:

  1. Mick, might pay to have another look at the pea id, dillwynias are generally characterised by very "broad" flowers, and the foliage of floribunda is quite fine. A Google image search will bring up some pictures. Cheers, D.

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  2. “bugs and bities” are quite addictive aren't they.

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  3. Thanks Duncan. I wasn't sure of the ID but what is it? Can you give me any clues? I shall certainly do an image search later - I am not on my own computer at present.
    Mosura, I am not sure about äddictive" - I just know I am seeing them now where I never saw them before.

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  4. Mick, there are so many peas, and so many genera, it can be quite hard to sort them out. With some you have to dissect the flower to see if the stamens are free to the base or united in a tube, for example.
    If you can get a botanical hand book from the library, you can work through the keys and hopefully identify it. You would have to become familiar with botanical terms, like stipule, glabrous, terete etc.etc. The species you photographed could be in the genus Pultenaea but I couldn't be sure. Good luck!

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  5. Thanks Duncan, I shall go back to the sight and get some samples and go from there. Very confusing - but also a good challenge!

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