GOOD INTENTIONS...

I was full of good intentions regarding blogging last year but looking back I'm startled to see it's been six months or so since posting. I've been more into instagram of late so that's my excuse. This year I'll try to post more here...

  After the exteme heat and lack of rain during our summer here on the Sunshine Coast, we are now in the midst of ongoing rain. Not complaining. But these colourful rainbow lorikeets do cheer one up on a gloomy day, with a cheeky look as he attacked the callistemon that grown in the median strip.

For comparison is a scaly breasted lorikeet. We don't see as many of them here so it's lovely when we do.

POND LIFE...

 Another visit to the Noosa Botanic Gardens revealed a world I hadn't really noticed before. These dear little frogs were hiding out on the reeds in a pond at the Gardens.  I was thrilled because I hadn't seen so many since I was a child. 

I was standing looking at the pond and noticed the little bumps on the reeds. Some were things like reed flowers, some grasshoppers and cicada shells. But the frogs were a delight. 

What a face... 

I particularly loved the white waterlilies, although some purple ones poked their heads up.

Always something getting around in the pond.  Some prettier than others.  

This not-very-clear shot, is one of the turtles who live in the pond.  He thought I had bread.  I don't have a photo of the black snake that passed very close to my feet as I was trying to get a close up of the frogs. Ugh. He slithered into the pond without reacting to my shriek.

This very tiny, blue damselfly falls into the pretty category. Such a vibrant blue. Very hard to see let alone focus on so I can only apologise for the daggy background; had to take what I could get.  Lots of lovely green lily leaves he could have landed in front of, but didn't. 

I found a large dragonfly cunningly camouflaged against some dead flowers on a nearby shrub...

To top it all off, the glorious scent of jasmine and caper white butterflies fluttering around.  Perfect... except for the snake.

“Life is like a pond, and every decision and act we commit, good or bad, is a pebble flung into it. The ripples spread in widening circles.” 

― Francine Rivers, An Echo in the Darkness

A WALK ON THE BEACH...

I often walk along the beach at Coolum, not because I live nearby but a friend does and we meet up of an afternoon sometimes after work for a bit of exercise in a great location. Not as often as we should do but every bit helps, surely?  Yesterday we were surprised to see skydivers landing when we arrived so it was an entertaining walk as well.

Very popular with surfers too, even though the tide was out.  I missed a few spectacular falls.  If only I'd been quicker...

There was a big storm cloud on the horizon to the south. Fortunately, we didn't get rained on.

I went bush at one stage to see if I could get a nice sunset shot but the trees were too dense, so settled for this shot. There were some shy little birds in the canopy too which I could hear but not see in the gloom.

Way out to sea, we could see the sails on a boat shining in the setting sun.

It was an educational walk for me too as I spotted this lady swinging a bag along the sand.  My friend told me it was burley which is used to entice worms to the surface for bait.  We didn't see her get any but she had a box on her waist containing some.

Not sure what the tide was doing but I was smitten with the clouds reflected in the wet sand. The Sky is Falling!

Our lovely walk finished the way it started when we saw more skydivers arriving.  You may not be able to see it but up in the sky there are 3 objects.  One is an osprey who ignored the interlopers. The sky divers are at the top of the frame and Mr Osprey is just below that little round cloud towards the middle.

I took this shot last week of Mr Osprey as he flew past the same spot. The wind was so strong at the time, I had trouble holding my camera steady so not too many photos taken that day.

One of the skydivers coming in to land with a stunning backdrop of reflected sunset.

This is the actual sunset which, to be honest, was not as colourful as it is reflected out to sea. Wonder why that is?

Just about to get in the car when I heard this brown honeyeater chattering and flitting around in the banksia. Not the best shot but in the dying light I was happy to get it.  Another great walk at Coolum Beach then it was back to reality.

"After a visit to the beach, it’s hard to believe that we live in a material world." Pam Shaw

WILD ABOUT TASMANIAN FLOWERS...

 Most of the wildflowers that caught my attention were on the west coast of Tasmania, either on islands off Strahan or seen on the way there.  I'm sure I bought a wildflower book but can't for the life of me find the thing so, unfortunately, most are nameless.  

This first flower is similar to a dandelion I guess but is really a ball of tiny flowers, like lantana but not growing like that. Very sweet and found with the daisies below.

 The golden everlasting daisies were growing in clumps along the Lyell Highway to Strahan and were welcome colour in, otherwise, stark countryside and dead trees. The area looked like it had never recovered from bush fires and, I guess, that may be what happened.

These nameless beauties were also found on the road to Strahan but also in other places. Very eye catching indeed.

Just before arriving in Strahan there was a lookout to the coast and we stopped to have... a look out.

and found this very attractive clump of grass.  I know, what sort of person loves grass?  Silly old cow, I am. I have previously admitted to an obsession.

 Alongside the grass, though, was this beauty (also unnamed).

And this colourful shrub is apparently, common heath.  There was a board about local flora but not one of those above was on it.

I did find a name for this one, which is the fruit of the leptecophylla juniperina and I read, now, that it is edible!  Next time, I'll try it.

 We took a trip up the Franklin River and one of our ports of call was Sarah Island which had been a penal settlement and completely devoid of trees while being used as such.  Now, only a few ruins remain and it is overgrown with local flora, no doubt thanks to prevailing winds and birds. Nature takes over.

Buttercups and blue berries, for example.

 Or these white daisy type flowers and something that could well be a weed, but is very attractive.

 This stylish pink flower is the stylidium graminifolium or grass trigger plant.

 Now, I think this is a native fuchsia or cirrea but I could be very wrong.  Pretty little thing though.

THINGS YOU DON'T SEE IF YOU DON'T LOOK DOWN!

I have just discovered that Spanish Moss creates a minute little flower!! A lovely lime green colour.

These amazing little things would be only about .5cm across.

The things you'll see if you'll only look closely?!

UNEXPECTED FLOWERS

These unusual flowers have sprung out of my pitcher plant pot. I assumed the plant was dead and thought some unusual seeds had blown in from elsewhere. Closer examination showed they are, indeed, part of the pitcher plant (click here for further info) and since they arrived I've found 3 new pitchers making themselves known as well as a tiny, totally different carnivorous plant, a Sundew I think (top). I will endeavour to look after them all a little better.

TRIFFIDS!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

I don't want to alarm you but I have found some Triffids in Queensland. Fortunately, these specimens appear to be dormant at the moment so I was able to get up close and personal. The bottom photo which I took from the safety of my car shows 3 of them growing in the main street of Nambour, 2 on the right and one on the left. The other 2 shots are of a 4th specimen I was able to get much closer to. Having just started watching the latest movie version of Day of The Triffids, it wasn't difficult for me to imagine these guys uprooting themselves and lumbering down the main street. In some ways this plant looks like an upside down, rather spindly banana tree, the flower being very similar to a closed banana flower. It's another Unidentified Floral Object (UFO) which is quite apt in this case, so let us know if you have a real name for it.

[edit 13/11/10 - found it! and another example from Taronga Park Zoo where I discovered that my first photo was only the beginnings of the flower; it continues to expand and is quite beautiful. Sydney was awash with these things; obviously just landed their spaceship at the airport because that's were most of them were, sneaking towards the city along the middle of the road pretending to be the Gymea Lily (Doryanthes excelsa), which is native to NSW - how cunning]

PRETTY AS A PITCHER

I visited a friend at Samford on the weekend and she took me to a local legendary eatery, The Flying Nun, for breakfast on Sunday morning. Terrific menu and delicious food in delightful surrounds. I enjoyed my breakfast and was enchanted by the gardens. There I found this pretty pitcher plant busily eating all the insects it could find (the silly insects are attracted to the throat of the plant, fall in and can't get out). I was so engaged by it that when I saw some similar plants on sale at Big W today, I couldn't help myself and had to buy one. Apparently not the same genus having upstanding pitchers but within 5 minutes of placing it out on the deck I could hear some hapless bug trying to get out. Gotcha! I did feel a bit heartless I confess but quickly moved out of earshot. Couldn't help but think they remind me of Triffids. Lucky they're only tiny then, but haven't they got cute faces??

They had a beautiful macaw there who apparently bites the fingers of anyone silly enough to stick their fingers in the cage. I resisted the urge to do that but thought him beautiful enough to photograph. I used my friend's phone to take the shots (note to self: take camera everywhere!).