GUMNUTS.....AND OTHER STUFF: West Australian Wildflower Trip. Day 11, Nglili Caves and Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. 19th Sept 2014.

It was a bit of an up-and-down day today, we went up into a lighthouse and down into a cave.

There was also a visit to Smith's Beach to see the Pink Rice Flower, lunch at seaside Dunsborough, a hunt for a rare orchid and I finally get face-to-face with the 'pineapple plant'.

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Nasty Weed. I didn't notice the tick on the Arum Lilly until downloaded photo and cropped. Ngilgi (Yallingup) Cave.

A long time ago the entrance to the big cave at Yallingup was near the ocean where the little brook comes out. Food was plenty and the Aboriginal people use to collect their water from the entrance to the cave. Then an evil spirit called Wolgine began lurking in the cave. Wolgine caused the water hole to dry up, food to be scarce and drew unwary people into the great hole of darkness - never to be seen again. Ngilgi was a good spirit who lived in the ocean and always kept a watchful eye on the tribes of Aboriginal people in the area. Feeling how sad his people were by the loss of their loved ones and seeing the suffering of his people, Ngilgi, decided to do something about Wolgine. He spoke with other good spirits of the ocean and together they planned to rid the district of the evil spirit Wolgine.
You will have to visit the cave to find out how the story ends.

Echidna with fossilized 'droppings'.

Kangaroo Paws fossilized in stone

Donkey, Little Pink Fairy and Cowslip Orchids.

C/W:Clematis sp., Bluebell creeper (Billardiera heterophylla), Common Billy Buttons? and bug,
Blue Squil and Orthrosanthus sp. (Morning Flag / Iris).

I just loved finding Trigger Plants. Stylidium sp (S. calcaratum - Book Trigger Plant?).

Ngilgi (Yallingup) Cave.

Grey Fantail nest that Don found.

Smith's Beach.

Smith's Beach WA.

Pimelea ferruginea - Pink Rice Flower.

This is wild, not planted.

Prima donna and Pimelea (P. ferruginea - Pink Rice Flower).

This was a pleasant little stroll.

A sea of Pink.

Not a prima donna, but still not a bad bloke.

You take me, and I'll take you.

This Shingleback Lizard and I became good friends.

The last thing some snails see is a Shingleback Lizard.

Darwinia citriodora - Lemon-scented Darwinia.

Hakea sp.

Statice (Limonium perezii) another weed plant on the dunes.

No trunks on these Grass Trees.

Smith's Beach WA.

Someone has been paddling.

We stopped for lunch at Dunsborough.

Dunsborough Beach WA.

‘Family of Four’ sculpture, Dunsborough Beach WA.

2 of the ‘Family of Four’.

Paddling in the sparkles.

One way of walking on water, Dunsborough.

Pacific Black Duck.

They wouldn't let me bring this 'tree seat' back on the bus.

Good use of Australian native plants in landscaping public places.

A sample of Angus's plants in Semour Park, Dunsborough, WA.

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.

We're off to see a lighthouse.

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. Built in 1903 from limestone quarried from nearby Bunker Bay.

Let there be light.

Whale spotters.

Paying attention.

Making the accent.

It has been some 60 years since I was last at the top of a lighthouse.

What makes a lighthouse tick.

Enjoying the view.

Laurie captures the Indian Ocean.

Norma, Hellen, Don and Kristen.

Me enjoying more 'earthly' things.

There was a lot of it, but not sure what it is.

"Hello down there"

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. Built in 1903 from limestone quarried from nearby Bunker Bay,

A stop to find a rare orchid.

More variations in red markings on the Cowslip Ochids at this site.

Pimelea, Pea, Banksia and Cottontails.

Thanks to Don, we were able to find Chapman’s Spider Orchid (Caladenia chapmanii), the orchid we had hoped to find here.

Chapman’s Spider Orchid (Caladenia chapmanii).

Hunting down the 'pineapple plant'.

I asked to get off the bus a couple of kms from Seashells to get some photos of the 'pineapple plant' I had seen on the way to the lighthouse. There was a cleared path made through the scrub when a gas pipeline was put through and that made for a very enjoyable and rewarding 2 hour walk. As well as the pineapple plant there was a another species in the same family plus a bonus of 9 orchid species.