This month requires real sleuthing to find the hidden delights of Honeypots, Acrotriche serrulata.
Honeypots
What appears to be young terminal flowers are actually bundles of new leaves. The developing clustered tubular buds are located on the hard stems at the base of the plant amongst dense small, sharp leaves. An added problem to finding them this year is that the dry weather seems to have reduced the number of buds. The flowers will soon be inflated with delicious nectar enjoyed by a range of small creature such as ants and birds.
The large male shrubs of Drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata, have been putting on a wonderful display for months with their long dangling, tan tassels.
Drooping Sheoak male
Now its low- growing, and aptly named, relative the Small Sheoak, Allocasuarina misera is coming into flower. The male plants have upright orange/red spikes, and female plants will develop small stalkless, reddish-purple globular heads.
Small Sheoak
Elllinor Campbell