Thursday, November 10, 2011

A promise

I promised my third post on my latest visit to the Grampians would feature wildflowers.

On our third day I went for a very short walk (about 800 metres) to get a shot of this amazing formation which was once called "the Jaws of Death"
Now I would like to say more but I am out of time tonight so I will let the flowers speak for themselves. This is a sample of the dozens of species I saw along that short path.

Most of these are flowers I have never seen before. Oz flora is so diverse that you travel a few miles and you will find a very different plant community.
No idea what this one is
Or this one, I guess from the structure that it is an orchid.
There was a little patch of them growing in one boggy area.
I would guess from the flower structure that this is a Melaleuca species (but I could easily be wrong)
Some kind of native Iris (I think)
This is a tea-tree of some variety (a much larger flower than most)
I know these
Holly Grevillea opening
And fully open
and a whole bunch with a pea flower of some kind in the background.

Dozens more to come

8 comments:

John Going Gently said...

the
delicacy of the flowers seems at odd with the harshness of the terrain

Old Kitty said...

I love the purple swathes of these delicate and most beautiful flowers!! Beautiful! they are protected aren't they?? I hope so!! Take care
x

Vicki Rocho said...

Lovely as always. Just wondering how many people died trying to climb into the "Jaws of Death"...aptly named, I think.

Sarah Ahiers said...

These are amazing, as usual! But the second pic is my fav!

Rebecca A Emrich said...

definatly awesome! wow two thumbs up!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

I have to agree with John. The contrast between the harsh terrain and these beautiful flowers is quite startling. Lovely, as always.

Al said...

Hi John,
It is an amazing contrast isn’t it.
Generally in Oz the harsher or more marginal the terrain the more diverse the flora.

Hi Jennifer,
Gorgeous aren’t they?
Virtually all native flora and fauna is 100% protected on public land. Even on private holdings most are protected under most circumstances.

Hi Vicki,
Thank you.
No idea, but I have seen plenty of photos of them with people on the, so I can hardly imagine a few haven’t slipped.

Hi Sarah,
Thank you, pleased you like it!

Hi Rebecca,
Two Thumbs! Thank you!

Hi Susan,
Thank you! It is amazing.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Great photos, Al! I love the Jaws of Death. It looks like a giant eel with its mouth open. :D