A little more than a week ago the flower head started to open.
Between then and now we have had 3 days over the last week-end of high winds and a lot of rain - 123mm (nearly 5 inches) in all. The flowers that were opening definitely got a bit of a battering!
This morning I saw a Blue-faced Honeyeater checking the flowers for any nectar.
Do viruses cycle between the hemispheres? If so all you people in the northern hemisphere are facing quite a nasty time next winter! There are severe colds and flues going round out here right now and I managed to pick up the cold somewhere. Runny nose, chills and difficulty breathing - all this kept me miserable and unable to do anything much outside for several weeks! The only interesting birds I managed to photograph were a couple of Galahs that came down onto the grass in the backyard. If this was nicely mowed then it would look like lawn - but then again there would be no dandelions for the Galahs to enjoy! The birds came down for a munch on the flowers and seed heads in a break between the rain storms. There are rain drops on the grass and the birds look a bit damp as well!
