Tuesday, September 9, 2014

West Australian Wildflower Trip - 5th Day Hopetoun to Albany. 13th Sept 2014



We are on the move again, heading west to Albany where we will be staying for three nights at the Dog Rock Motel.
 Another one of the 'top stops' for the trip was at Koonong Road, I could have spent the day here. We have been passing a lot of canola fields on the trip, and, when asked by Martin did we want to stop and take some photos the 'aye's' won the vote. The area were we stopped to see the Scarlet Banksia was another productive spot, including a Lambertia which was one of the plant families I was hoping to see over here.    

     

Here are links to sites that I have found helpful with plant identification:  Esperance Wildflower Blog
                                                                                                              Orchids Of South West Australia
                                                                                                             The Orchids of Western Australia
                                                                                                 WA Now and Then, Wildflower Gallery
There are numerous collections on Flickr, I found this one helpful :    Westflora


The videos can only be watched on this page.


Click on photos to enlarge.

                              

Day 5, 13th Sept  -   Hopetoun to Albany, 342km.



Stop 1  -  Morning tea stop at Koonong Rd.  


Morning tea stop at Koonong Rd.    Kunzea affinis was one of the dominant species here.




Some of the plants at Koonong Rd. WA. 




not sure

A nice show of white turning to red.  Chamelaucium ciliatum  -  Stirling Wax.

The appropriately named 'Ouch Bush'  (Daviesia pachyphylla) has sharp rigid
leaves that stop them from being popular in wedding bouquets.

Daviesia pachyphylla  -  Ouch Bush ...... makes a 'ripper' back scratcher.
 Just one of the many plants that grow in these sandy soils.

I'm amazed at the variety of native peas.

They just keep on coming.

This ant's nest had a circular pea garden.

Sorting out Dampiera species make me blue.

Top right is a Eucalyptus sp., not sure what the others are, but the ant seems to getting a meal out of one.

not sure
Drosera sp.  -  Sundew    (Drosera barbigera  -  Pygmy Drosera ?)

The male flowers on the up-turned 'leaves' of this Allocasuarina / Casuarina sp.
 caught my eye. On the right are the female flowers.

Hakea sp.

Leaf and stem. Bottom right:  Eucalyptus pleurocarpa – Tallerack

Another trigger plant.



Lunch commentary by Martin.

Stop 2  -  Lunch at Jerramungup.



Lunch at Jerramungup (place of lunch). People in 'Winnebagos' had taken all
 the picnic tables (don't they know they have tables in the back of their vans).
Jean, Ethel and I scored the school kids seat.

Elephant bush (Portulacaria afra) which has been
well and truely 'man-pruned'.

A Shingleback Lizard was in the adjacent vacant block.

This 'launching rocket' was also in the block. Paterson's Curse (Echium plantagineum) maybe?

Also in the vacant block was this little charmer.


Stop 3  -  The Canola Field.



Photographing the Canola fields.

Fields of Gold and the Stirling Ranges. The land of Canola.

Shadow and Light.

"Stay there and I'll take a photo".


The ladies snap away.

Martin likes to make his own margarine.
He was just getting a 'sample' plant to show those who hadn't seen a canola
plant, up close, before.

Stirling in the Shadows.

Melaleuca sp.

Survivors amongst the carnage.

Crossing the Pallinup River.




Stop 4  -   West of Wellstead.



Along the road to Albany WA






Fiery red beacons standing above the scrub had us gasping as the the bus came to a halt.

But first, Actinodium cunninghamii, the Swamp Daisy.
The tiny beetles were enjoying them as well.

Scarlet banksias standing above a plethora of peas.



Clockwise: not sure, Patersonia sp. (purple flag) and Synaphea sp.

Trying to get the right angle.


Widely considered one of the most attractive Banksia species,
  Banksia coccinea  -  Scarlet Banksia, Waratah Banksia or Albany Banksia.

Banksia coccinea  -  Scarlet Banksia

There were so many peas.

nots sure, not sure, Calectasia sp. (bottom right)


Leucopogon ?, Boronia ? and no idea.

Looking for something new.

Eucalyptus sp.

Another group of peas.

Habitat photo.

Lambertia inermis  -  Chittich.

Lambertia inermis  -  Chittich.


Conospermum sp. - Smoke Bush.

No shortage of plants in flower.

You can run but you can't hide.

Beetles doing what beetles do and
 Melaleuca suberosa  -  Cork-bark Honey Myrtle.

Hakea ?, who said there were no birds here and Banksia sp.

It was virtually like this all along the side of the road.

Isopogon or Petrophile ?





Stop 5  -  Half an hour later.



not sure

The red is a Grevillea, the yellow could be a Stirlingia and the other one, no idea.

Clockwise: Hakea,  Comesperma confertum  -  Coastal Comesperma,  not sure
 and  Stirlingia sp.

Isopogon sp. (cuneatus ?)



Banksia grandis  -  Bull Banksia, with an alien emerging.

Synaphea sp.

I don't know what it is, but once again sharply pointed leaves are included.

This pea had quite a large flower.

Sphenotoma dracophylloides?

Peas, the pink one could be a Gompholobium sp.



The upright growth of this pea-flower was pretty spectacular.


Woof Woof.        Dog Rock at  Albany (that's Al-bany not All-bany).


End of Day 5

Scroll to bottom of page, Click on 'Older Posts' to go to Day 6 (next day).


To go back to Day 1  click:  here.


Cameras:  Canon PowerShot SX10 IS and Sony DSC-W690..

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