[Edit, 14th August 2015: in order to keep this blog going and to keep showing you my photos, I’ve had to make room otherwise I’ll be all full up and writing you essays every time! Thanks for your understanding, as I delete all of these flower photos!]
Okay so you know how I’m just like a teensy tiny eeny weeny little bit obsessed with birds? With hearing them, finding them, seeing them, photographing etc?
Well nothing about that has changed but I’m adding a bit of variety into the mix.
For nearly four years, since hubby and I took a trip to Perth and southern Western Australia over the New Year break in 2010/1, I have wanted to go back there during the wild flower season which is famous world wide. I even booked it into my hard copy calendar on the wall for the following year, but before the dates came around we moved house and the calendar was abandoned to a box in the shed and the idea was forgotten.
Until this year. We received a Save The Date card in August for a family wedding just outside of Perth in Swan Valley for the end of October! Eeek! Right at the tail end of the wildflower season!! YAY!!!
So I jumped right into research mode: what species of flowers would be flowering, in what areas, at what time in the season, where would be best to see them, who operated tours in the right areas. Typical over-organisation, but it’s fun so where’s the harm, right?
As well as my own research, I took the topic to my last photography class and quizzed my teacher (Wendy Clark – Empathy Photographics, Master Your Camera) on photographing miniature flowers, seeing as she is an expert in photographing wild native orchids: lighting, sun and shade, getting up close, use of zoom, getting the colour right, time of day etc.
So excitingly, the right place for sighting and photographing wildflowers at the end of October is right in Perth and southern Western Australia, exactly where we’ll be! As well as hanging out with my husband’s family in Perth I have a lot of family to visit down south as far as Bunbury so I feel like the stars have aligned for wildflower hunting and photography! Awesome!
I’ve looked up all the tours, but Kings Park in the centre of Perth has an amazing display of wildflowers apparently, and some of my family have paddocks of wildflowers next to their properties so I’m going to get my fill there and if I still need some more flowers then I’ll book once I’m there.
So why am I writing all this blah blah? Because I’m about to throw a bazillion practice photos at you *evil smile* I’ve been practicing in the gardens of my neighbours, in the park, at the awesome holiday house my mum and dad (and me and hubby some of the time) just stayed in for a week courtesy of the Otis Foundation at Wattle Point, on Raymond Island, in the Blond Bay game reserve, on the silt jetties outside of Paynesville, Bluff lookout…essentially anytime I find a flower that might be native, or any flower really, and have my camera nearby.
I’m trying to focus on native flowers, but as it happens, I don’t really know which flowers are native and which have been imported. I mean some are obvious, like I know gum flowers and heath and wild orchids are Australian, and willow trees and camelias and holly are from England, but that’s about the whole of my knowledge! So I’m in the market for a field guide, some more experience and maybe a tiny version of a tripod for getting those awkward shots.
In the meantime, here are the flowers from my holiday out East to tantalise us for the West!
Apparently this beautiful flower is called “Pig Face”! It’s also pink not magenta, but I couldn’t make my camera agree!
Beautiful purple flowering vine on the lemon version of “Pig Face”
Pink flowering gum blossoming out of gumnuts
We all fell in LOVE with these gorgeous blue flowers that creep as a vine into other bushes and trees
Our pretty state emblem, the Heath bell flowers
Lovely small little yellow flowers
Another in the trillions of white star flowers – its amazing how different each one is!
I love how these white star flowers have little divets cut in between
Very Christmasy native with all the delicate scrolls and bobbles
A fabulous Christmas coloured Kangaroo Paw, definitely Australian!
A weird knobbly kind of flower on a green bush
A fascinating kind of Grevillea flower, all spikes and yellow nobbles
A pink variation on the cotton candy bush where the flower bursts out of the nut
Lovely pink Melaleuca flowers, a childhood favourite of mine – love how they cover the whole bush
Delightful masses of tiny pink flowers growing off spikes
Gorgeous pea flower growing prolifically! Fabulous colour!
This pretty pea flower is apparently called the egg and bacon bush! What?!
More star flowers than I can count! This time they are mauve
Another pretty purple hibiscus flower
Lovely spike of tiny pink flowers
Christmas bells! Hope they last til the festive season
Yellow button flowers clustering together
Pretty pretty white star flowers with cute baubles
How much do these gorgeous flowers look like butterflies?
A cute little purple paper mache type pom pom flower
fabulously intricate white flower with yellow stamens
If you look closely you see that there is a long thin red and yellow stem coming out of the centre of this tiny star flower
White ringed yellow centred pink daisy – so pretty!
A cotton wool type flowering popping out of a nut
Another Christmas like delight unfurling from a tight little bud
Another spiky bobbly Christmassy flower
All I can think of when looking at these flowers is false eyelashes
A funny bobbly seed pod: not sure if it was a flower or always a pod
Chewed on yellow centred yellow daisy with creepy crawlies
Don’t know what these yellow centred star fllowers are but they’re cute
Orange dotted purple centred washed out orange daisy
White sprigs of blossom, perfect for a vase
A gorgeous yellow sprig of star flowers on a ridiculously long and fragile stem – hard to capture blowing in the wind!
I call these cotton ball flowers – no idea what they actually are
Cutesy little rose like flower bursting out of little nuts
Yellow centred purple daisy standing out by itself
Purple centred peachy coloured daisy
Delightful little purple flowers giving colour to a grey bush
Fabulously tiny and petite purple flowers growing on a bush
Cape weed – an introduced pest but it does look spectacular in the springtime
Lovely yellow centred white ringed pink daisy…just a tad chomped on by rogue bunny rabbits
Lovely trumpet type flower, pale pink on the outside, maroon on the inside
Pretty white 4 sided star flower in a bunch
Delightful white daisy with pink dots – the bush is amazing!
Lovely double sided crinkle edged yellow flower
Teensy tiny itty bitty purple flowers on a grass bush
Fabulous yellow centred yellow daisies – such a prolific flowering plant
Pretty pretty pretty – a lovely yellow centred white daisy
Not sure what it is but love the green-red contrast and delicate flower
Blue and yellow centred white daisy
Looks like the other pink pea flower but this is a bush, not a tree
Beautiful bunch of white star flowers
Lovely purple hibiscus flower, paper thin but surprisingly lasting
Pretty little blue star growing out of a grass bush
