We had the October Nature Ramble on Monday 13th. It was windy but the flowers were beautiful and the Rufous Whistler’s noise and appearance was very special.
We started from near Burnside Camp and walked along the Anglesea Perimeter Walk and then down past the Sewage Plant to Peter McGain’s for coffee. The route was chosen because a previous ramble found a plant which evaded identification. It is now in flower and is the Slender Bush-pea Pultenaea tenuifolia. Most of us had not seen it anywhere else.
Slender Bush-pea
Mostly the colour palette was white with Silky tea-tree Leptosperum myrsinoides, Blunt everlasting Argentipallium obtusifolium, Creamy Candles Stackhousia mongyna and Milkmaids Burchardia umbellata in profusion as well as the occasional Common Beard-heath Leucopogon virgatus.
White heathlands
Woolly Rice-flower
Along the track there were many Common Correa Correa reflexa with their long dark red flowers. It is the type first described by Mary White and is thought to be a separate variety of Correa reflexa.
Common Correa
Among the treasures was the Many-flowered Mat-rush Lomandra multiflora subsp. multiflora, the picture showing male flowers.
Many-flowered Mat-rush
Also each variety of Dillwynia or Parrot Peas eg Showy Dillwynia sericea, Smooth glaberrima , Red hispida, and Grey cinerascens was found. They caused the usual discussion/argument about the differences.
It’s an easy walk in a beautiful heath. We thank Dot Hutton for setting it up.
Bill McKellar