February - Vegetation and vertigo!

Our travels have not all been about rocks and ancient land. As always the plants continue to fascinate me. It is not the best time of year to view and identify many of them - for a novice like me, even an enthusiastic one - but they continue to draw my eye. 

We picked up a couple of great little brochures in Lightning Ridge - one describing plant sites and the other bird sites around Lightning Ridge. With these in hand, and my trust book on inland plants (I love that book), we took off for the surrounding bush. What an interest day! I learnt so much, but ended up with lots of questions - as always. I have included a mixed selection of photos from that and other places on this trip. 

The vertigo? This stems from travelling too long on very rough roads (knitting all the while) and my head is nearly done in - not surprise really. We could stop ....... who said that? What a silly suggestion!

Poverty bush - not sure which one

One of the dwarf cassia species. Their leaves fold up when touched. Found on Bulloo Downs on the Wompah Gate Road

Myall tree. Beautiful shade trees with soft pendulous branches

Warrior Bush Apophyllum abomalum. This is absolutely choked with mistletoe which is good for the birds

The flower of the Wild Orange Capparis mitchellii. Very similar to the Caper Bush Capparis spinosa

This is the Gruie Owenia acidula also known as Sour Plum, Emu apple plus other names

Hudson Pear. An introduced noxious cactus.

One of many Aboriginal scar trees. The bark from these would have been used to make Coolamons.

The Stiff Cherry (Leafless Ballart) forms tangled understory growth

The Ballart isn’t very pretty but was an important plant for aboriginal people I believe

Feral cactus were everywhere around Lightning Ridge. This prickly pear has fruited but was dried out.

This is a Prickly Pear tree! Never seen anything like it.

A bush 'passionfriut' - possibly a caper variety

A bush passionfruit

It was a competition between me and the ants