On our August nature ramble, we initially had a brief stop at a small reserve on the corner of Gilbert Street and Boundary Road, which was well covered in indigenous vegetation.
Parks Victoria had mown a wide track through the reserve, and there were several small informal tracks. There were a number of Wattles in flower, and a multitude of Tall Sundews Drosera auriculata, with their shield-like leaves glistening with the sticky secretions ready to catch and digest unwary insects.
Tall Sundew
On the narrow verge opposite we saw a colony of Nodding Greenhoods Pterostylis nutans.
Nodding Greenhoods
We then moved on to Ted’s track which, as always, had lots to offer, though most plants were waiting for warmer weather before coming into flower.
Ted’s Track
At the start were more Nodding Greenhoods, and a more unusual wattle, the Spreading Acacia genistifolia with its spiky foliage.
Spreading Wattle
We saw a few small colonies of Gnat Orchids Cyrtostylis reniformis.
Gnat Orchid
We looked in vain in the special enclosure for the very rare Spiral Sun orchid Thelymitra matthewsii, but there was not even a sign of a coiled leaf.
Prickly Cryptandra C. tomentosa var.1 was blooming in many places with the petals of the small tubular flowers turning the rose-red of late flowering.
Prickly Cryptandra
Common Beard-heath Leucopogn virgatus var.virgatus with its tiny white clustered flowers and fluffy petals was also obvious.
Common Beard-heath
Just starting to appear were the striking salmon flowers of the Leafless Bitter-pea Daviesia brevifolia, and Silky Guinea-flower Hibbertia sericea var. sericea with its bright yellow five-petalled flowers.
Leafless Bitter-pea
Silky Guinea-flower
I was pleased to see several of the delicate blue pea flowers of Common Hovea H.heterophylla, as I had missed them last month when checking out the track for my August flora notes.
Common Hovea
I was surprised to see a specimen of Billy Buttons Craspedia variables standing up straight with its single spherical golden-yellow flower.
Billy Buttons
With us were two visitors from Switzerland who were really interested in the hidden flowers of Honey-pots Acrotriche serrulata growing down at the base of the stems.
Honey-pots
They saw ants with the flowers which suggested that that they are the pollinators.
Swiss visitors
It was a very pleasant morning ramble.
Ellinor Campbell
Photos by Balint Berg and Ellinor Campbell