I was amazed to read the other day that the Botanic Gardens contain 1/3 of all native Australian plants! With that being something like 78,000 plants I think it may be a while before this blog runs out of material...
Summer is still hanging on in the garden, another warm day brought out plenty of bees and butterflies. I got a couple of nice shots of a bee on
Leptospermum squarrosum and a beautiful
Yellow Admiral butterfly
Vanessa itea on a lovely white flower that I haven't been able to identify.
A few signs of Autumn are around, although not as obvious as they would be back home in the UK (the majority of trees being
Eucalyptus, and Eucalyptus being evergreen!). I came across some glorious orange berries on this native
White Holly bush
Auranticarpa rhombifolia and the autumnal
Banksia 'Giant Candles' that made it clear winter is on its way
.
Incredible photos! Great signs of a good season. By the way, I just want to share to you this life-changing business advice that will make you say Wow! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely blog you've got here! I used to work at CSIRO Black Mt too, and spent lots of my lunch times wandering in the gardens. Walking around Black Mt reserve itself is also wonderful, particularly in spring when the terrestrial orchids come out (I read once somewhere there were more species of orchids on Black Mt than in the whole of the UK! But I am not sure how reliable that titbit is...)
ReplyDeleteThanks lynds! really like your blog too. Interesting comment on orchids I will have to go look for some in spring, so much orchid habitat has been lost in the UK wouldn't surprise me if its true. I worked at a place in the UK that had some bee orchids by the lake, until the gardeners mowed them by accident... !!!
ReplyDeleteHi Hazel,
ReplyDeleteThink I spotted you in the ANBG the other lunch-time but was not sure what you looked like, otherwise I would have come over and said hello. I generally wander around first thing in the morning for 45 mins and then again at lunch-time. Co-incidentally I might be coming to work for CSIRO Entomology soon - with Atlas of Living Australia.
I generally wear the ANBG Acacia vest and either a beanie or cap depending on the weather.
Regards,
Robyn
The comment about orchids is correct. In spring we can find lots in the ANBG, but if you go the other side of Black Mountain it is teaming in orchids. There is an actual Black Mountain type species, which as you know as a taxonomist is pretty special
ReplyDeleteHi Robyn, could well have been me, I remember seeing a couple of garden people around when I was there the other day. I tend to carry a pink bag (my lunch bag) and of course a camera at the ready!
ReplyDeleteWould be lovely to meet you - the atlas people are in the same building as me so Im sure to bump into you there if not in the gardens.