Western Australia – Page 27

Fully blooming, east Porongurup (sequel to “Almost blooming”)

Published September 27, 2020 by Pelidoug

Fully blooming, east Porongurup (sequel to “Almost blooming”)

When in full bloom, yesterday and today’s featured species lives up to its common name, but on one side only.

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Almost blooming, east Porongurup

Published September 26, 2020 by Pelidoug

Almost blooming, east Porongurup

Photo (copyright Doug Spencer) shows a much-loved, petite and uniquely southwest Australian flowering plant at 4.05 pm on 21 September 2020.

Probably, its flower would have “opened for business” on 22 September.

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Perfect storm, at last (#82 in “a shining moment” series)

Published September 24, 2020 by Pelidoug

Perfect storm, at last (#82 in “a shining moment” series)

In 37 years of visits to Albany (on Western Australia’s south coast) we had failed to achieve a key ambition: to experience a major storm there.

A few days ago, nature finally obliged; the image shows Lowlands Beach at 3. 54 pm on Sunday 20 September 2020.

Joseph Tawadros provided this post’s suitably tempestuous music.

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But birds are better than bees…

Published September 7, 2020 by Pelidoug

But birds are better than bees…

…at least if you are a Kangaroo Paw, seeking effective pollinators,

All Kangaroo Paw species primarily rely on birds; for them, bees are “useless”.

Kangaroo Paws are not alone in relying on vertebrate pollinators; in this respect, Australia’s southwest is the world leader.

And many West Australian plants that do rely on insect pollinators are “liars” – plants pretending to be “receptive” insects!

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Cat’s Paws are the bee’s knees

Published September 4, 2020 by Pelidoug

Cat’s Paws are the bee’s knees

…but bees are of little or no use to this – or any other – member of the Kangaroo Paw family!

A future post, coming soon, will explain why.

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Jumping up in Spring (#81 in “a shining moment” series)

Published September 2, 2020 by Pelidoug

Jumping up in Spring (#81 in “a shining moment” series)

The featured image shows Caladenia latifolia – the Pink Fairy.

If you are in southern Australia (Tasmania included), within one hundred kilometres of the Indian or Southern Oceans, and have access to somewhere bushy and sandy, chances are excellent that you can see this species in flower, right now…or very soon.

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Narcissistic duck? (#80 in “a shining moment” series)

Published August 31, 2020 by Pelidoug

Narcissistic duck? (#80 in “a shining moment” series)

Anthropomorphic captions almost always lie about the animals they purport to describe!

This juvenile Australian Wood Duck was simply preening, as birds do.

This behaviour has precisely nothing to do with egregious self-regard.

However, the “water as mirror” circumstance does lead me to one of my favourite pianists, delivering a sublime rendition – coughers, notwithstanding – of Claude Debussy’s Reflets dans l’eau.

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