Walk among the Wildflowers.

Stanthorpe is very lucky to have a group of wildflower enthusiasts, the Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium.
Each Spring this group conducts a series of wildflower walks in various parts of the Granite Belt.
Today was my first walk with them, and it was in Girraween National Park, along the Mt. Norman section.

Getting to the starting point for the walk was an unknown for many of us, but the group is well organised, and signs were found at every road junction from Wallangarra into the Mt. Norman track.

And along the way, the last section of which was an unsealed road, there were gates to open, and close!

No mistaking this.

Before starting the walk, where to park?
I was almost last to arrive so space along the track was at a premium.    Car parking was an exercise in manoeuvring and tight turns.....the track was narrow, and there were lots of vehicles about.

A bike would have been good idea, from the parking point of view.

After parking (wish there were such things as fold-up cars!), I joined the rest on the walking track.

They were an enthusiastic bunch of Nature and Wildflower lovers, all checking plants and checking classification with one another.
And at various sections one of the group leaders would stop, and point out an interesting plant for us to admire....and attempt to classify!
There were a couple of participants who could rattle off nearly every plant's Latin name.
Very impressive stuff.

We may look a motley crew, but we aren't!

We're really quite a pleasant group, all interested in plants.

One of the group leaders explaining about a plant for us.

...and another leader explains about another wildflower.

Like many other National Parks, Girraween is a wild and beautiful place.
Its colours are predominantly grey, due to the huge granite boulders.

This photo gives you an idea about Girraween...mainly grey, with granite boulders.

But with Spring here, there are splashes of colour amongst the grey.

In this section of the park neither the Flannel Flowers, nor the Wattles were out....but the plants had plenty of buds, just ready to burst.  It was a pity, because the Flannel Flowers, in bloom are glorious, as are the trees of golden Wattle. 

But here are a few of the other plants I saw today. And when I photographed these I was wishing for a you-beaut, technically-up-to-date camera....my shots are not too good, but you will get the general idea (I hope)

I think that this is a Guinea Flower. (Hibbertia)

New England Tea tree (Leptospermum)

The above photograph does not do justice to the Leptospermum, which was a delicate shade of pale pale pink, merging into white.

One of the Boronias (F. Myrtaceae)

And a blue-flowered something...never found out the name of this, but it was a pretty splash of colour.

One of the many heaths in this section of the park (F. Ericaceae)

A Banksia.....Family Proteacae

Beware...a nest of "itchy grubs"

Can you see the small caterpillars crawling over the surface of the nest? If they crawl on your skin you do get very itchy, because their surface hairs are brittle, and pierce your skin, which results in the itch and/or a rash......very very unpleasant.
So such a nest should always be admired  from a safe distance...as you can see in the next photo.

A wise viewing distance!

 (No plant, animal, or person was harmed during the Wildflower Walk...I feel sure that this puts your minds at rest!)

Our Striated Pardalotes

I seem to be on an avian kick at the moment, don't I?
The Great Northern Bower Bird last blog, and now, back at the farm, I am going to write a little about our Striated Pardalotes.(Pardalotus striatus)


The photo below is of this bird.    Isn't it gorgeous? (I don't think the purists would appreciate me referring to a small bird as "gorgeous" but there it is. That's how I see it.)

You can see the bright yellow markings on its chest and above its eyes.

I think that this is the female...she(?) is smaller than the other one...the male(??)

Here is the pair....male in front of the female.

Pardalotes  are common all over Australia, with different types restricted to various areas. e.g. the Forty Spotted Pardalote is found only in a very small area of Tasmania.   But our Striated Pardalote is one of the more common ones. It is found practically Australia wide.

This pair has nested in the base of one of our pot plants.

The male is perched on the rim of the thyme pot plant.

And beside that pot is the "nest"....it is in the base of the pot beside the thyme. Both pots sit on one of our  tank-stands.

Yes, the birds enter via the rectangular opening at the base of the pot.

Not a very salubrious looking dwelling, is it, but the pardalote rating for housing suitability must rate this well.

There...can you see a Pardalote head peeking out from the pot?

And here is a photo of one of the pair leaving the nest/ pot.

There is no way to see into their nest, so I have no idea how many eggs have been laid, or how many will hatch, but both birds are busy feeding their young.
They seem to take it in turns to get food.....one stays in the nest while the other searches for food.
When the food-carrier returns, the nest bird leaves and the food-carrier enters the nest.
They communicate by song.
 
The series of photos below shows the birds with food in their beaks.
It is difficult to see exactly what is being carried inside to the baby bird/s, but you will see a grub or millipede, and various flying insects.

There on the left-hand pot is a Pardalote with a grub/worm/millipede in its beak.

It looks like a small white butterfly is "dinner"

......and for variety, a yellow-winged insect.

...and another grub

...and this looks like a small grasshopper.

I am deriving a lot of pleasure from watching these two small birds tend their nest.
And of course, I hope to see the new birds in the next few weeks.

The Great Bowerbird

We are visiting some of our family, who live in Townsville.

Their front yard, in an inner suburb of Townsville, has a lot of trees and bushes in it, and there among the plants is a bower.

The decorations are predominantly white, but look carefully and see pieces of red, and of green.

 
 It is an intricate piece of avian architecture.
It was built, and is maintained, by the Great Bowerbird....Chlamydera nuchalis.

The bower is about 50 cms long, and 40 cms high.
It consists of a stage, (where the male will dance for the female), and two walls of sticks.
The sticks are bent and woven into the wall shape.
Amazing stuff!

You can see the "stage" at the far end of the bower...made with white stones and shells.

This species of bowerbird can build large bowers, up to 50 cms high, and 1 metre long!

Typical of the species, the bower is decorated with predominately white stones and shells, with some pieces of green and red, and shiny objects.
For added "bling" it has added pieces of Alfoil, which shine, and a few plastic pieces.
It also occasionally adds a touch of red or green.
Ripe cherry tomatoes are the preferred choice for red!
Green berries, and other pieces of green vegetation also decorate the bower.
This bird has worked hard to make its bower attractive for the females.

The Great Bowerbird, with a Calistemon flower obstructing its eye!

Another shot of the bird, this time without flowers, but still parts being obstructed with foliage!

These Bowerbirds are found across the top Northern Australia, from the Kimberley region in Western Australia to Townsville, on the eastern coast of Queensland.

They are quite large birds...over 30 cm long.
Their colour is predominantly brown, but this one had a pink patch on the back of its neck.(not visible in these two photos)
I thought that maybe it had been in a pecking order fight with another male bowerbird, and had had its feathers pecked off, (which does happen) but no.....it was displaying to me, and calling loudly because it did not like me near its bower! 
Hence the pink "display patch"

When it began to build this bower, I have been told, another male attempted to oust it from the territory.
How?
"Our" bird would start construction of its bower, then the second male would come in and pull out the sticks of the walls!!
This went on for about a week, before bird number two flew elsewhere!

I have seen the Satin Bowerbird bowers in my area of Queensland (the Granite Belt), but never a bower in a suburban backyard!
This one in my son and daughter-in-law's yard does not even mind sharing the yard with a dog!
This has been a bonus for us....we feel, in a very small way, like David Attenborough!!

The end-of Winter Burn-off.

Just look at this grass. Dry. Brown. Tall.(well, waist high)

You can understand that the bushfire threat is high this summer, and that, in our state, Queensland, land-owners are encouraged to burn off their excess fuel before summer starts.

Protocols must be followed.
A fire permit, issued by the local fire warden, is given.
Burn-offs must not begin before 4pm, and wind speeds must be less than 10 knots.
Safety measures must be in place in case an emergency arises.

BEFORE:  Future bushfire fuel, unless burnt out now.

AFTER:  the long, dry grass has gone. Summer fire risk reduced.

Last week conditions were right. Last week we did our burn-offs.

We had long grass on the "bottom" block, and the fires there were very different from those on the "top" block, where our grapes grow.

Our bottom block does not have any grape vines on it.
We burnt off the two blocks on two afternoons.


The Bottom Block Burn-Off.

 

Starting the fires for the burn-off.

The flames take off.

..and burn well....

...but you must be ready to extinguish any stray flames.

A truck ready for any emergencies when burning off.

This specially equipped truck belongs to one of our neighbouring farmers.

It has a water tank, and long hose, as you can see, plus a generator, and galvanised iron buckets.

We needed such equipment when the scrubby bottom block was burnt.  Equipment "just in case"

The Top Block Burn-Off

Burning off on the top block...between the vines and the road.

A tractor, with a water tank behind, ready, if needed.

...plus a wet hessian sack to beat out wayward flames.

The "top block" did not have as much dried grass  (i.e. less fuel) as the bottom block, so the truck was not necessary.  This time water was carried in a water tank, behind the tractor.

You can tell from the photos that the fire was not nearly as fierce as the fires on the bottom block.

The weekend following our burn-offs, many other farmers were also doing their bit to reduce the possibility of Summer bushfires.  This photo is taken looking across our vineyard towards the hills of the next valley. You can see the smoke from the burn-off fires there.

Burning off in the next valley to us.

10 years ago fierce bushfires raged through the valley shown, and one person lost their life. So we are all aware of the importance of taking the necessary precautions.

We all hope for a quieter summer, re bushfires.

My week in Shanghai's summer.

Well, it was 8 full days really, but "a week" reads better as a heading, don't you think?

My husband was going to Shanghai on business, and I had decided to stay at home...because the summers there are reportedly very very hot, and very very humid.
To add a little spice to that, it is also the typhoon season.

But at the last minute I decided that I couldn't not go, so to China I went. And of course experienced, in 8 short days, the heat, the humidity AND a typhoon! Excitement plus!

One hot day (yes, I am repeating myself, re weather, I know) we walked through an older part of the city, and found a Taoist temple.

It was a touch of peace and serenity in the hot city.

Here are a few photos.

The main entrance to the temple complex.

In the first courtyard were people buying and burning sticks of incense.

Within the temple grounds are many smaller temples, each with a statue of Buddha.  

One of the 4 different temples arranged around this central square.

...and another.

People use the temples for quiet reflection, and/or prayer.

Photographs were not allowed inside the temples, so I cannot show you any of the Buddha statues. But they were magnificent, and some were huge.

One of the monks, a female, was watering the plants outside one of the temples.

On one side of the complex was a quiet garden with a pond, full of carp, of many colours.
The trees and shrubs in this garden also added to a feeling of relaxation.

People are sitting on the bridge, watching the carp.

It is a little difficult to appreciate the variety of colours from this photograph, but they ranged from pale white to black!

Children could buy fish food for a few yuan, and feed the fish.

The fish are obviously used to being fed.

Despite the heat of the day,  inside the grounds felt cooler...maybe the restful ambiance fooled our heat-sensitive receptors!

Whatever the explanation, the visit to the Taoist temple was a very relaxing experience.