The beautiful big, floppy, short-lived yellow flowers of Snake Vine (Hibbertia scandens) seem to be everywhere at the moment. Snake Vine has really taken off as a landscaping plant in many coastal areas, and can be seen growing from Brisbane to Grafton and round to Perth. And it's no wonder, as it copes in very harsh conditions, tolerating full sun, sandy soil, dry periods and a bit of salt spray, all while maintaining its lush-looking glossy leaves and putting out those floppy flowers.

The flowers don't last long but they add masses of colour while they're around. And Snake Vine is a common vine around the Illawarra, particularly in coastal areas where it thrives on neglect. It can grow along an old fence or up a power pole, or ramble along the ground to form rolling hillocks.

It often finds its way in among groundcovers like the local Native Raspberries (Rose-leaf Bramble, Rubus roslfolius; Small-leaved Bramble, Rubus parvifolius; or even Moluccan Bramble, Rubus moluccana var. trilobus), where it is best left to fend for itself.

It's great to see Snake Vine being used as a landscaping species around the region, given how truly local it is, and how much biodiversity value it has, with a range of bees and other insects visiting the flowers.

If you spot a Snake Vine looking a bit worse for wear, it may be because the larvae of the striking Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae) have been taking a nibble. While some people consider the larvae to be a bit of a pest, on species such as Impatiens, the moths are so beautiful it's hard to begrudge them a few Snake Vine leaves.