After what felt like a seriously cold winter, we’re finally feeling the first flush of warmth and I am totally here for it (remind me of this when I start complaining about the heat in a few weeks!) There’s been a lot of argy bargy in the backyard. Butcherbirds defending their patch, kookaburras loudly greeting the dawn and so many possums grunting and screeching and growling. Yes, spring is definitely in the air.
And so, over the weekend, I headed to Dharawal National Park to see if the flora was reacting the same way as the fauna. Get excited, the bush has already exploded with colour!
I have to be honest, as much as I love wildflowers in general, there was one bloom I was particularly hoping to see, Telopea speciosissima, the New South Wales Waratah. I already knew where to find some locally, having visited them for the past two years, however, the exact location I’m keeping to myself.
Waratahs are a spectacular flower and as a result, even though it’s illegal to take them, they tend to fall prey to people who can’t resist snipping them off.
But let’s face it, half the fun is finding them. They’re not particularly difficult to find, proving to be a real shock of colour, this vibrant red, amongst the muted tones of the surrounding gums and banksia. Even though I went searching in the last week of winter there were already a handful of blooms, towering above me (they can grow 3-4 metres in height. I cannot). They only flower for 4-6 weeks so it makes finding them even more special.
But it’s not only the Waratahs putting on a breathtaking display. At ground level, delicate orchids were a lovely reward and I had to watch where I was putting my feet. Further along the track as the ground muddied were various sundews, carnivorous plants, which like the Waratah thrive in our nutrient-poor soil. You might notice what looks to be tiny dewdrops glistening on these plants (hence the common name). This is actually a sticky substance to trap unwitting insects before slowly digesting them.
If you’d rather your wildflowers more at eye level, there’s plenty of those too. Acacias, pink swamp heath, pea flowers and boronias are all in abundance at the moment; the pea flowers proving to be a real draw for native bees as well.
It really is a fabulous time to head out on a wildflower treasure hunt and see how many species you can find.
