Wild Flowers of Western Australia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Wild Flowers of Western Australia Naturetrek Tour Report 2 - 16 September 2005 s e m r a H Hakea victoria - Royal Hakea l u a P Report compiled by Paul Harmes Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Wild Flowers of Western Australia Leaders: Paul Harmes(tour Leader & Botanist) Alan Notley (tour Guide & Botanist) Doug Taggart (driver) Tour participants: Rachel Benskin Juliet and Peter Dodsworth Pat Jones Bettye and John Reynolds Priscilla and Owen Silver. Day 1 Friday 2nd September Weather: Warm and Sunny in London. Hot (34 degrees) in Dubai. Juliet, Peter and Rachel met with Paul at the boarding gate for Emirates flight EK002 Heathrow to Dubai, departing at 14-00hrs. However, due to industrial action by the in-flight meal providers, the flight was delayed for one and three-quarter hours, eventually taking off at 16-15hrs. Following a 7 hour flight we arrived in Dubai, where upon we had to make a quick dash across the airport to catch our connecting flight on to Perth. Day 2 Saturday 3rd September Weather: Hot in Dubai. Cloudy and hazy sunshire, 18 degrees in Perth. The Emirates EK420 flight to Perth departed Dubai at 03-15hrs, arriving in Perth at 17-15hrs local time. After completing the immigration, customs and quarantine formalities, we met up with Doug Taggart, our Australian driver for the duration of the tour. Doug transported us into the city, showing us some of the sites on the way, including the Swan River and The Western Australian Cricket Ground, before taking us to The Miss Maudes Swedish Hotel, our base for the next two nights. After settling into our rooms, we met up with Pat, Bettye, John and Priscilla and Owen, who had all been slowly acclimatizing to the city, and introduced ourselves. From the hotel we walked the short distance to Hay Street and the Criterion Hotel Café, where we had a splendid dinner. Day 3 Sunday 4th September Weather: Warm and sunny mainly, but some cloud and a little rain in the afternoon. After an early breakfast we gathered in the hotel lobby, at 08-30hrs, to meet Alan Notley, our local botanical guide, and Doug Taggart, our driver. After introductions, we set off for Kings Park. This triumph of local planning comprises a formal public open space and gardens, over-looking the Swan River and the City. It also has an extensive area of natural bushland. Alan began by taking us through the formal planted gardens, and gave us an early familiarization with the Western Australian flora and its various regions. Red Wattle-birds, Australian Magpies, Rainbow Lorikeets and a family of Australian Wood Duck were all seen. We also found Caladenia latifolia (Pink Fairy Orchid), and Microtis media ssp. media (Common Mignonette Orchid). Moving into the bushland, we took a walk, immediately finding Diuris corymbosa (Common Donkey Orchid), Sowerbaea laxiflora (Vanilla Lily) and Anigozanthos manglesii (Mangle’s Kangaroo Paw), Grevillias, Banksias, Myrtles and Eucalyptus © Naturetrek December 05 1 Tour Report Wild Flowers of Western Australia species were all seen. Ring-necked Parrots were also very much in evidence. From here we moved on to Herdsmans Lake. Here we saw Australian Shoveller, Musk Duck, Swamp (Marsh) Harrier and Grey Teal. Along the margins we found Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Purple Swamphen, Ducky Moorhen, Glossy Ibis and a Little Egret. and some obliging Welcome Swallow perched in a Bottlebrush Tree. After a brief stop, at the Grower’s Market at Wembley, to buy lunch, we drove out of the city to the Ellis Brook Valley Reserve, an area of semi- wooded slopes, old quarries and natural bush. Alan led us on a circular walk up to the ridge and down the other side. Along the route we saw Brown and New Holland Honeyeaters, Red-eared Firetails, Western Rosella and Red-capped Robin. Plants included, Trymalium ledifolium (Water-bush), Hibbertia hypericoides (Yellow Buttercups), Isopogon formosus (Rose Coneflower), Hakea trifuricata (Tow-leaved Hakea), Drosera micrantha (A Sundew) and Stypandra glauca (Blind Grass). As we neared the car park, a pair of Splendid Fairy-wrens were spotted in some Calathamnus bushes. Before leaving this wonderfully rich site, we had a brief stop at an area of open woodland by the entrance. Here we found Drosera heterophylla (A Sundew), Patersonia occidentalis (Blue Flag), the parasitic Nuytsia floribunda (Christmas Tree), Hakea lissocarpha (Honey Bush) and Hypocalymma angustifolium (Swan River Myrtle). Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-checked Honeyeaters and Silvereyes were also seen and Weebill was heard. Reluctantly, we now had to make our way back into the city and back to our hotel to prepare for moving north tomorrow, and for dinner. Day 4 Monday 5th September Weather: Cloudy and warm with sunny periods and occasional rain. After an early breakfast, we loaded our bags into the trailer and boarded our bus for the start of our journey of discovery of Western Australia. Leaving the city, we headed north to the outer suburb of Joondalup, where we picked up Alan. From here, we headed north and onto the Brand Highway, continuing on past Gingin, making our first stop in the Moore River National Park. Along the way, Straw-necked Ibis were spotted from the bus. We had a short time botanizing the margin of the reserve, whilst Doug prepared morning tea. Here we found, Blancoa canescens (Winter Bell), Calytrix tenuifolia, Aganozanthus humilis (Cat’s Paw) and Eucalyptus todtiana – Prickly Bark. Moving on we made a short stop for fuel, before continuing to Badgingarra and our main objective for the morning, Hi Vallee Farm. We made a short stop on the roadside at Cataby to see the splendid Eucalyptus macrocarpa (Mottlecah) in full flower, the largest flowered member of the Eucalyptus Genus. As we approached Hi Vallee Farm, on the main road, we saw a Wedge-tailed Eagle being mobbed by two Australian Ravens. Our hosts, Joy and Don Williams, greeted us with a welcome picnic lunch, fresh fruit and damper with golden syrup, all washed down with ‘billy tea’. The afternoon was spent with Don as our guide, walking in the natural bushland on his property. His vast and detailed knowledge was imparted in a clear, passionate and extremely informative way. He introduced us to some of the fascinating plant families, showed us some rare and unusual local specialties and opened our eyes to the richness and diversity of this part of Australia. Eucalyptus, Dryandra, Conospermum, Astroloma and Darwinia species were all present. After thanking our hosts, we bid our farewells to Hi Vallee and the group of Western Grey Kangaroos, we had been watching, and made our way to our final stop of the day at the Nambung National Park and the Pinnacles Desert. Nankeen Kestrel and Black-shouldered Kite were both spotted as we traveled. As we arrived, we had some very close views of an adult male Emu and his seven chicks. We were treated to a short, but splendid, sunset, which, set against these fantastic rock formations, was rather memorable. As the light began to fade, we drove the short distance to the Jurien Hotel Motel, for the night and a well earned dinner. 2 © Naturetrek December 05 Wild Flowers of Western Australia Tour Report Day 5 Tuesday 6th September Weather: Fine and cloudy with some sunny periods and the odd shower. Following a splendid breakfast, we departed Jurien, continuing our journey northwards. We stopped briefly at Green Head where we saw Crested Terns as well as Scaevola crassifolia (Fanflower), Atriplex isotidia (Coastal Salt Bush) and Spiniflex longifolia (Hairy Spiniflex). As we moved north of Leeman, we spotted a flock of Stilts. These turned out to be Black-winged and Banded. A further short roadside stop produced Alyogyne huegelii (Lilac Hibiscus), Asphodelus fistulosus (Small Asphodel) and Eucalyptus dongarensis (Coastal Dongara Malle). During our stop, for morning tea, at Dongara, by the marina, we saw Little Pied Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, and Pacific Gull. Among the plants were two grasses, Stenotaphrum secundatum (Buffalo Grass) and Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda or Couch Grass). Lunch was taken by the sea in Geraldton. However, before we ate, we visited the HMAS Sydney 2nd Memorial to the six-hundred and forty-five souls who perished during this infamous incident. As we still had some distance to travel to our destination today, Kalbarri, we soon continued on our way. We made two further short stops, one at the Hutt Lagoon ‘Pink Lake’ to see Alyogyne hakeifolia (Hakea-leaved Hibiscus), sadly, not flowering, and one a short way from Kalbarri to see a wonderful patch of Leptosema aphylla (Ribbon Pea). Our main objective for the afternoon was the Wildflower Centre at Kalbarri. This is an area of natural bushland that has been opened up and had paths added. Many of the plants here are labelled to assist identification, although none of the plants are obviously planted, accept those in the immediate vicinity of the buildings. Here we made some progress with our identification of plant families. After this it was time to check into the Kalbarri Beach Resort Motel, and prepare for dinner. Day 6 Wednesday 7th September Weather: Cloudy and warm with a strong breeze. The most part of today was spent in the Kalbarri National Park. The special Sandstone features and the Murchison River are situated about twenty seven kilometers from the gates of the Park. The sand roads are fairly hard going, but gave us opportunities make stops to study the flora. Our first such stop yielded Banksia sceptrum (Sceptre Banksia), Banksia victoriae (Wooly Orange Banksia), neither of which was in flower.