Sunday, February 8, 2009

LATE AFTERNOON SUN SETTING ON NATIVE FLORA

These are some photos I took this afternoon of the natural bushland at the end of my street. These native plants are growing on the edge of a deep gully, they aren't displaying their usual beautiful colours at present as we have not had a decent soaking rain for months; they usually look more vibrant and green. But still I find the beauty in these subtle colours of gray green, yellow green and the varying colours of the grasses, it is a different perspective as the setting sunlight bathes them in a golden light.

Silver gray foliage on a wattle tree and the varying colours of the native grass.


One of many clearings which leads to a track which winds its way to the floor of the gully. It is very steep and you pass huge rock shelves, many beautiful native grasses, wattles, eucalyptus (gum) trees, she-oaks and beautiful ferns. It is a long way down.

More grasses and wattles.



She-oaks, wattles, angophoras, eucalypts and grasses.

The colour palette ever changing with the light.

The last of the sunlight bathes the tops of the trees in golden light.


26 comments:

Anonymous said...

australia
is amazing
&
very beautiful

i don't see a lot of smoke
in the air -- hope you're well clear of those wildfires & smoke, dianne <3

¤ ¤ ¤

/t.

darkfoam said...

exactly ditto what /t. said.

yes, i've been reading about that fire storm ..!!

Little Lamb said...

Those are very nice pictures.

The Phosgene Kid said...

That's some thick brush - makes for tough hunting.

Hope the fires in AU give you a pass, terrible, terrible thing...

chickory said...

that's it. im packing my bags, and i am on my way. what a lovely and seemingly infinite array of textures let alone colors. im glad to see you didnt do a post on fire - i have wondered where you are in relation to the Oz fires. and, its it just terribly hot there?

thanks for the photos. your little slice of blue ride is coming.

have you ever pressed flowers? id like to have some if you'd be interested in trading.

i bought all the seeds for a giant border of sunflowers this year. we have a little taste of spring right now. im sure foamy is having it too.

darkfoam said...

yep .. we're having that little taste of spring too these past couple of days ..

dianne said...

Thanks dear /t.for your concern. Yes Australia is a beautiful country but so is Canada and the US, we all have our beautiful spots like coulees, bushland and forests to enjoy. ♥

There is the smell of smoke but fortunately we are not experiencing the disaster that is the bush fires in the state of Victoria,just the high temperatures; it is a tragedy indeed for so many. ♥

dianne said...

Thank you dearest Foamie , so far we are safe, just the smell of smoke in the air and the heat. ♥

Glad to hear you're getting a touch of Spring weather, I don't know whether that is a good thing or not, makes me think of global warming.
The temperatures here have been extremely hot, just look at the firestorm in Victoria, they are the highest temperatures that state has ever experienced.
The whole thing is just a tragedy.
♥♥

dianne said...

Thank you dearest Lil Lambie ,I'm so pleased that you like them, I borrowed both of my sons cell phone cameras and managed to get one decent photo with my cell phone camera as well.
Lol, I looked kind of funny with three phones but I got the photos I wanted. ♥♥

dianne said...

Thank you dear Phossy yes so far we seem to be safe from the fires,
It is a terribly sad thing to happen, so many lives and animals lost. ♥

There is plenty of wildlife in the bush, kangaroos, wallabies, foxes, feral cats, snakes, numerous lizards and geckos and many birds.
Yes you would find it hard going there, as it drops off to about 140 metres. ♥

dianne said...

My dearest Chickory , why would you want to live here when you have your own beautiful piece of tranquility?
Yes there are some beautiful colours and textures here all of which I am naturally drawn to, I just love the bushland.

I am so fortunate here where I live, I am on top of an escarpment and all of that bushland you see surrounds me. This part I have photographed drops off about 300meters not 140 like I told Phos, some of it is steep but it is lovely to walk down to the bottom, just beautiful.
Further around (more photos to come later) it is even steeper but there are a few paths which lead down to a creek, which then flows into a river via a mangrove estuary.
It is so lovely here just sitting on the rocks listening to the water as it flows by and the calls of birds,so peaceful.

Would you believe all of this bushland I have shown you was destroyed in the bush fires of 1994 and 2002 when the gully caught on fire, the heat and high winds were disastrous.
My house caught on fire but thankfully not much damage,many houses were lost, it was frightening so I have some idea of how our neighbours in Victoria are feeling.
After being evacuated and then returning home we were faced with a desolate landscape of ash, burning embers, extreme heat, choking smoke and so many poor dead animals and birds.
But nature is a wonderful thing when it is being kind, within weeks the burnt trees had sent out epicormic shoots and within months the bushland was looking green with new leaves. Most of the smaller shrubs and grasses have regenerated and to look at it now it is so beautiful, just like before. ♥

So you will be sowing your seeds ready for Spring and your new garden, that will be lovely.
Thanks I can hardly wait for my little piece and spirit of your beautiful Blue Ridge. ♥

I haven't pressed any flowers in years. Our native flowers are protected and you cant pick them but I would be happy to take some close up photos for you if you would like. Our quarantine and customs laws are extremely strict and we aren't allowed to import any plant material, what about your customs do they allow it?
Well nice talkin' to ya gal, I should have made this a post, Lol, its long enough. :-) ♥♥

dianne said...

Phossy dear I meant that the drop is 300meters and forgot to tell you that we have lots of possums too. ♥

sparringK9 said...

no - i hadnt thought of that! plant quarantine. i respect that. i would never want to put our plants, or yours, at risk. a mangrove! how interesting!

we will have to trade photos then. no i wouldnt want to leave chickory. even when we discussed maybe moving to Chile where my husband was born i thought (secretly) "im not leaving"

dianne said...

Yes dear K9 we have to respect our quarantine laws as its very important for our flora.
Even imported flowers for the florists here have to be sprayed and are quarantined...so I will take some photos for you. ♥

A mangrove! Lol, did you think I meant a grove of men?
I have put a link here for you.
mangrove

I wouldn't want to move away from Chickory either.
When I was first with my ex he was offered a job in Japan, not a short stay, permanently, no way, I wasn't leaving all of my family and friends behind; you have to draw the line somewhere. ♥♥

The Phosgene Kid said...

Even though I don't do meters that sounds like a long way down. Wouldn't chance that even for shooting the fixings for a kangaroo burger.

Have the police had nay luck on tracking down the people that started the fires? I heard at least one was thought to be arson...

dianne said...

Phossy my dear, 300meters is about 1000 feet, it is a long way down, some of the track slopes gently but other parts drop away so you just have to find your way around the rocks to get an easier path to the bottom.
Its not an easy descent. ♥

Yes I would say quite a few were lit deliberately, what would possess a person to commit such a senseless act?
I believe one man is being questioned and 15year old boy.
Its just so sad that so many people have been affected and so much loss of lives, property, livestock and animals. ♥

Anonymous said...

hello, Dianne... I trust you are well away from the fires... watched an Aussie movie tonight: Holy Smoke...

just dropping in on my friends to say hello...

dianne said...

Hello there dear Pete , nice of you to stop by and say hello. ♥

Thankfully, this time the fires are nowhere near me, they are in Victoria, a state south of here.
There have been some fires in country NSW, but not here. ♥

Think I've seen that movie but cant recall the plot, the one with Kate Winslett in it? ♥

Anonymous said...

Dianne - Kate goes off to India in search of enlightenment... her family worries that she's involved in some kind of cult and brings in a deprogramming expert (Harvey Keitel)

Anonymous said...

that movie
has the most
awesome scene ever
/w lovely kate by fire light(!)

but happy to hear you're away from the fires, dianne -- terrifying and just awful

¤ ¤ ¤

/t.

dianne said...

Yes, thanks dear Pete , I have seen it, I must hire it on DVD and watch it again. ♥

dianne said...

Ah yes /t. dear I think I remember the scene, yes Kate is beautiful, all woman and shapely. ♥

puerileuwaite said...

At this point I would watch the setting of the sun with a "Naive Flora".

dianne said...

Lovely to see you Puggles my sweet. ♥
So watching the sunset with a "Naive Flora" or with Kate Winslett? ♥

Helene said...

wonderful photos and I am glad to read that you are far enough from the fires at this point that you can only smell them. It was also interesting to read that the photographed area was totally destroyed only 7 years ago! Amazing how it recovered! You must have the most wonderful wildlife near your home too! When I lived in FL I had open land behind me and a lake in front. From gators to eagles it was always such a treat to see my wild neighbors! I moved to Philly PA recently and live in much more of an urban area. I love it here, but its not nearly as beautiful!

Have a great weekend!

dianne said...

Thanks so much Helene , lovely to see you again.
I'm pleased that you liked the photos,I will be posting some more of the other side of the gully which I think is even more beautiful.
Yes we are safe from the fires so far this summer, it has actually been raining here, it is most welcome because the garden and bushland are so dry.
Yes it is amazing how the bushland recovers from the devastation of the fires and regeneration occurs slowly at first then before you know it the only evidence left is the burnt trunks of trees and grass trees which have died.
We have lots of native animals,reptiles and birds here it is very sad when their habitat is destroyed and so many of them are casualties.
I am most fortunate, it is a lovely place to live and the fragrance of the bushland flora on the air is amazing. ♥