A Promise

My first two Star Jasmine blooms have opened today.

What a show is promised.

This time next week I'll be intoxicated with the perfume.  They are a beautiful creepeer to grow.  What a pity their flowering season is so short - still... I love the anticipation at this time every year.

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Peach Blossoms

Spring seems to be arriving early with trees bursting with new shoots and birds beginning nest building.



The peach trees are a delight to see.

Enjoy!

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Acacia Macradenia

The showy Acacia Macradenia is commonly known as the zig zag wattle because of the way each segment of the stem angles away from the previous segment.

It is a native of Central Queensland being found growing on sandy or rocky soils between Chinchilla in Southern Queensland and the Blackdown Tableland in Central Queensland.

The tree grows about 3 to 5m in height with a similar width of spread.  It flowers from late winter to early spring. 

This tree is growing in the gardens at the Boyne Valley Community Discovery Centre and it's just burst into bloom during the past week.

Visit Today's Flowers to enjoy more flowers from around the world.     http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

West Australian Coastal Dune Delights

I took a twelve hour journey from home to Perth, Western Australia, to enjoy my granddaughter's participation in the National Championships - Women's Gymnastics.  As a Queenslander I was very proud  of our Queensland teams who won all four levels contested - Levels 7 to 10. 

Another highlight of the trip was my afternoon strolls along the dunes bordering the Indian Ocean.  Just beautiful!

Being winter I had to seek out the flowers - yellow edging the walkway...

delicate mauve raising its head above the shrubs behind the protective fencing...

bees drawing my eye to the tiny yellow blossoms on succulents holding the shifting sands and glistening with salt crystals...

the sculptured heads of the dune grasses...

and this trees which at first glance tricked me.   I thought it was laden in bloom but on closer inspection found the lovely fawny tones to be miniture seed cups.

Against the backdrop of the sun dropping into the Indian Ocean and lulled by the soft pounding of waves against the shore, all combined to make the afternoon stroll a pure delight.

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Purple Mystery

Thank you for all the responses last week helping to identify my mystery plant. So I'm going to ask your help again to identify this one.  I thought it might be a nightshade.  It's  a  pretty creeper but with small children around I want to be sure it is not dangerous. Although these flowers appear blue they are more of a lilac colour in reality.



See how each little flower pokes out a tiny "tongue" from the yellow centre piece.

This little single blossom fell from the bunch above and came to rest on the irregular leaf below.  Its no bigger than my thumb nail but so delicate and pretty. 

Is it friend or foe?

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Growing in the rill by the roadside just along from our house are these unusual flowering plants with their big broad green leaves and bright orange flowers.

Their tall stems rise up towards the sky reaching almost two metres in height. On each are several evenly spaced green pompoms.

From each pompom explodes a series of little orange flowers which turn the green bud ball into a fiery orange one.

As each individual orange blossom drops,  a sculptured green ball is left behind with little hollow tubes like mouths agape, where the blossoms had once been.

I found a variety of insects including assasin bugs, ants and lady beetles all crawling in and out among the blooms.  I have no idea what the plant is.  Is it an escaped garden flower or a weed? And where have the seeds come from to produce this bed of beauty?

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Grevillea

The spidery blooms of Grevillea

These flowers are encouraging honey eaters to the garden and one pair has built a nest at the bottom of the steps into our house.

Honey eater in grevillea

Cream blossoms

I never tire of their beauty.  Have a lovely Sunday.

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White Beauty

Flowers whisper "Beauty!" to the world, even as they fade, wilt, fall.  ~Dr. SunWolf

Winter came quickly this week with a drop of 9 degrees below average for this time of the year.  It has been wet, windy and very chilly for the past three days. 

I was beginning to despair of a photo for today when the sun struggled through the clouds around midday.

These tiny, delicate little blossoms were in the gardens of the Discovery Centre.  They've all suffered a dusting as roadworks threw a blanket of dust over the centre earlier in the week, then 25mm of rain, wind and cold weather to end the week but still they whisper "beauty" to the world.

Be sure to visit Todays Flowers for more flowers from around the world.      

Zygocactus

My Zygocactus grow in hanging baskets under a persimmon tree. 

When the leaves drop from the tree the zygote come into bloom.

These two are very special to me as they were my father's.  He was very proud of his collection.  He had his courtyard draped with zygotes.  With our extended years of drought since his passing at this time back in 2000, I have only been able to save these two colours from his original collection.

For My Dad.  May he Rest in Peace.

Thank you to all who commented on my flowers last week.  It was a pleasure to be guest presenter. 

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Lovely Golden Wattle

The wattle is the Floral Emblem of Australia.

There are over 900 recorded species of wattle in Australia.  Here are three growing by the roadside.  The plant in the foreground has the little pompom flower of many species while in the background, the bigger tree has the long cylinder type flowers of other species. To the left is the silver wattle native to this area.

Because in southern states, wattle blossoms herald spring, September 1 is National Wattle Day...

...but here in Central Queensland the roadside is a blaze with colour to welcome winter.  With over 900 identified species across Australia it is said there is always a wattle in bloom somewhere across the country.

Wattle blossoms have a strong perfume; are loved by bees, especially our tiny native bee and form dense clusters of bright yellow or orange flowers.

The lovely green and gold of the tree has become the colour of the uniforms of our national sportsmen and women in all sports.   Hoorah for the Green and Gold!

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A Living Gift

Last Sunday my daughter gave me a pot of tulips for Mother’s Day.

I’ve never seen real tulips before and I’ve been able to enjoy them everyday since. 

What a lovely gift! 

I find it amazing to have a spring flowering bulb blooming so beautifully during autumn in Central Queensland, Australia.



     Visit Ubobo Travellers for more reflections on life in Rural Australia.

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They close each night and with each morning comes the promise of a new surprise by lunchtime when they are fully open again.