Bench Series : December along the Waterfall Way…

Look what I found in the small village of Ebor, along the Waterfall Way,  an hours drive outside Armidale. 

 I am going to take you back in time 4 weeks when we were in Armidale. We only had 2 days to explore this very interesting town.

Day 1 we took a Heritage bus tour. (Check it out here)

Next day we drove along the Waterfall Way. One of Australia’s lesser known, iconic and beautiful drives. It passes through National Parks, the stunning gorges rise on either side of you and then there are the waterfalls. So many of them. But being summer not many will be flowing. So we went to Ebor Falls as it never dries up.

These are some of the things we saw.

Paddocks of white daisies. When we passed them near Dubbo I thought they were weeds, but Ruth of “Ruth’s arc” informed me in the comments that they are actually Pyrethrum Daisies. She sent me this information…

“Botanical Resources Australia Pty Ltd (BRA) is the Australian grower of over 60 % of the world’s pyrethrum, the botanical insecticide, and runs the most high-tech pyrethrum industry in the world.”

They are very photogenic…

I think these may be growing wild though…

I will link this to “flowersoverflowers” I’ve been missing in action on this site for a while.

This is the Guy Fawkes river cascading over the gorge. Creating the Ebor Waterfall, described as one of Australia’s most attractive falls.

A walking track winds around the top of the falls and we find another bench to sit and admire the lookout.

On the way out we pull up at an old pioneer cemetery.

How difficult life must’ve been for these hardy pioneers when they settled in this area in the 1800’s.

After a welcome cup of coffee at the “Fusspot’s Café” it was time to head back to our mini house sit in Armidale.

But one last side trip on the way to see another waterfall.

Wollomombi Falls was almost totally dried up. Can you see the small pool and the trickle of water falling into it? But look at that massive gorge and imagine the force and power behind the falls in full flow during the winter wet season that has created that. It would be an awesome sight.

***********************

Now I have caught up with my travels to this house sit and we only have another 2 weeks here.

Weather up date. After the sweltering heat of 39c+ on Sunday, yesterday the temperatures dropped to mid 20’s and it started to RAIN, and today it is still steadily falling, mana from heaven. I can see the grass and weeds growing as I look at them!!!

Well Jude week 51 of your very popular bench series and only one more week to go…

A Flower a Week : Jacaranda

This is Jacaranda time and these stunning trees are in full flower. The Jacaranda tree is a native of south-central South America, but is found all round the world in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

I went for a drive this morning to capture the beauty of these trees. At the moment they are at their peak flowering. As I stood under them taking photos I was enveloped in their soft sweet perfume, but if it rains or strong winds blow the petals will fall and create a carpet of mauve then it will be over until next year.

This is one of my favourite paintings from the Brisbane Art Gallery.

Under the Jacaranda tree by R. Godfrey Rivers

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere

A Flower a Week : Silky Oak…

Look very carefully you may see the lorikeet

Grevillea robusta, commonly known as the southern silky oak or silky oak, or Australian silver oak, is the largest species in the genus Grevillea of the family Proteaceae. It is not closely related to the true oaks, Quercus. It is a native of eastern coastal Australia, in riverine, subtropical and dry rainforest environments receiving more than 1,000 mm per year of average rainfall. ( Wikipedia information)

Jack planted this Silky Oak tree about 12 years ago. He bought it as a 6 inch tall seedling from a market. Now look at it.

It towers above the houses and it is still growing. It is beautiful when in flower and the lorikeets love the abundant nectar it produces. But look at all the leaves it drops…

I’m not sure how safe it would be if a hurricane roared through and I would like to prune the top off it, but the tree man tells me he is not allowed to touch it as it is a native…

**********

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere.

A Flower a Week : Bauhinia…

Bauhinia Corymbosa, this showy, tropical climbing plant smothers a trellis along my side garden and loves the hot, sunny spot.

Look closer and you can see why it has the common names of orchid vine and butterfly vine.

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere

A Flower a Week : Silver Princess Gum

Princess gum

Buds

Close-up

Gum trees or Eucalyptus are very common around Australia. The more than 700 species of eucalyptus are mostly native to Australia, only 15 species occur outside Australia, with just nine of these not occurring in Australia. One of the most spectacular is the Silver Princess Gum. Found in the wild in Central Western Australia. It is now cultivated and a very popular small tree for gardens. 

Eucalyptus caesia, commonly known as Caesia, Gungurru or Silver Princess, is a mallee of the Eucalyptus genus. It is endemic to the central Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, where it is found on a small number of granite outcrops. The name “silver” refers to the white powder that covers the branches, flower buds and fruit. “Gungurru” comes from the name used by the indigenous Noongar people. (Wikipedia)

**************

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere

A Flower a Week : #6 Banksia

These are just a few of the Banksia species. The Banksia is a native Australian plant. There are 173 Banksia species, and all but one occur naturally only in Australia. Banksias were named after Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820 ), who, in 1770, was the first European to collect specimens of these plants. 

In 2010 we found “The Banksia Farm”. It was  just outside the small village of Mt Barker in Western Australia. What an amazing place. Kevin and Kathy Collins have created  the world’s only complete arboretum of Banksia species. I never knew there are so many and varied forms of this unique plant.

*************

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere

A Flower a Week : #5 Kangaroo Paw

The spectacular Red and Green Kangaroo Paw, Anigozanthos manglesii is the floral emblem of Western Australia. It is one of about twelve species of the genus Anigozanthos which is restricted to the south-west of Western Australia. The family Haemodoraceae to which it belongs occurs in Australia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa and the Americas.

This is another Kangaroo Paw species, smaller and not so individually spectacular as the Red and Green one but when seen massed in a garden bed they are a stunning sight.

September is the month King’s Park Botanical Gardens in Perth has its Spring Festival. A glorious celebration of the wild flowers that grow so profusely in Western Australia. Five years ago I achieved a dream of a life time when I spent 3 months travelling the length of WA immersed in the beauty of this regions native wild flowers and culminating in being in Perth for the Spring Festival.

******************

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere

A Flower a Week : #4 Sturt’s Desert Pea…

Sturt’s Desert Pea

This week I would like to introduce you to a strange-looking native Australian plant. Sturt’s desert pea (Swainsona Formosa) is one of Australia’s best known wildflowers.  Named after the early explorer, Charles Sturt, it is the floral emblem for South Australia. They are annuals and it is an exciting and thrilling experience to come across large areas of them setting the arid desert areas alight with their brilliant red flowers.

****************

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere.

A Flower a Week : #3 Heliconia

 

Here is another vibrant tropical flower from my garden, the Heliconia.

There are many different species of Heliconia, I have 3 different species in the garden. The leaves of this plant are paddle-shaped, and they are related to the ginger and banana families. Heliconia are sometimes called “lobster claws” or “parrot flowers” because of their beak-like “bracts” which can be orange, purple, red, yellow, pink, green or a combination of these. A bract is a leaf structure at the base of a flower. The Heliconia flowers are tiny and found inside these bracts, which are so large and colourful that they almost hide the flowers.

They are natives of the tropical Americas and over there they are pollinated by hummingbirds with beaks shaped to extend into the bracts and reach the flowers. I don’t know if they have pollinators here, but they spread rapidly and exuberantly by underground rhizomes and can soon dominate the garden beds.

The flowers last for many weeks and in the hot, humid months of summer make a vibrant show. They are very easy to grow and don’t appear to have any pests or diseases.

********************

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere.

A Flower a Week #2 : Bat Plant

Bat Plant

This week I have chosen to show you this spectacular Bat Plant. It is one of the most unusual  flowers in my garden and flowers during the hot tropical summer months, but as I won’t be home when it is flowering I am showing you one from last season.

Tacca chantrieri

Common Names: Bat Flower, Black Bat Flower, Cats Whiskers, Devil Flower, Bat Head Lily, Bat Plant, Devil’s Tongue, Black Tacca, Jews Beard, Voodoo Flower.

****************

Nalinki on “Angles and views” is hosting a weekly series called: “Flowersoverflowers”, it will be posted every Tuesday. The idea is to bring some more colorful pics of nature into our blogosphere.