First to arrive

The first orchids of the season at Wirra Birra have sprung up in the last week or two.

These little guys are mosquito orchids (Acianthus exsertus) - tiny things, and not particularly spectacular as orchids go. They're tough to get a good photo of, and not from want of practice.

But always good to see them and, as in this case, to discover them in new places on the property. I spent an hour or so weeding very, very carefully around this new patch, pulling hundreds of tiny sparaxis that were threatening to over-run the 'good guys'. Hopefully see a few more of them next year.

An Imposter!

At this time of year, one needs to look a little harder to find a splash of colour in the bush - which is why these guys stood out. Known by their scientific name of Lobelia gibbosa, its easy to see why this species is commonly known as False Orchid.

Not the best photos I've taken, and ones that highlight well the need for a tripod. And better light might help too....

The pink hyacinth orchid is also blooming widely still, but all attempts to photograph this plant have eluded me. I'm puzzled as to the two apparent forms of the plant - one with a bright green stem, and the other a dark purple, but (to my untrained eye) otherwise identical.

Disappointed - you bet!

In a previous post, I prepared myself to be disappointed with the Rudd government's leadership on climate change targets. Today they followed through for me, and delivered on that disappointment in spades, with a miserable 5% target for greenhouse gas reduction by 2020.

Most households could match that paltry figure themselves by swapping a few incandescent globes over for fluoros, so coming from the Federal government, this can only be described as an insipid target.

The ABC reports today on sixty green groups who banded together to condemn this feeble policy. Add Wirra Birra to that, and make it 61.

And I don't think the good folk at Carbon Planet were impressed either....

Who's eating the bandicoots?

Quite possibly it's these guys......

These photos taken along our creekline with a borrowed Moultrie I-60 game camera.

These are neat little weather-proof, motion-activated, Infra-red cameras - designed primarily for redneck Americans who like to photograph deer, with a later view to shooting them. But they've got another obvious use too, in monitoring the bush for the presence of native animals, and that's how I've got mine deployed.

For those interested, this site has a good practical overview of the Moultrie I-40 and it's potential for use with native Australian fauna. (It's damn interesting site to poke around too)

I'd hoped to see bandicoots running around the creek where I've left the camera deployed, but I've been stunned to see the number of foxes (up to three in one photo) and the fact that they're apparently so active in daylight hours too.

Stay tuned for some more photos, and (hopefully) the demise of the foxes.

Not done yet....

Also known as Brunonia australis, Blue Pincushion is another of our natives that are flowering late into the season. Here's a few pics taken earlier today








...and a new one for me - Grass Trigger plant (Stylidium graminifolium), also flowering in profusion.







Photos courtesy of my new Canon 450D with Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens. Sitting down today with the Magic Lantern Guide was time well spent, and taught me a few new tricks that brought the best out of these challenging subjects.

Bush for Life under threat

A small but dedicated group of volunteers works at Wirra Birra each fortnight, pushing back the weeds and helping to maintain the quality of the bush. Mostly retired, our volunteers put in a solid morning's work every couple of weeks, and form a vital part of our larger bushcare strategy.

The volunteers are a part of the Trees for Life Bush for Life program - a program that trains volunteers in bushcare techniques, then assigns them to a site where they can work on a regular basis. Co-ordinators from Trees for Life produce plans for each site, which then guide the bushcare activities.

Our team of volunteers - Penny, Sue, Jan, Pam and Brian - along with co-ordinator Peter have had a long involvement with Wirra Birra, dating back to the owners before last. In some ways, they know this place better than I do.

This week though, came the news that Trees for Life had missed out on ongoing funding for Bush for Life, with the announcement of the Caring for Our Country grants. The Minister who used to care about the Environment, made the usual excuses about grants being a competitive process, but coming just on the eve of International Volunteers Day this decision is a real slap in the face for such a well-established and successful program, and for the hard working volunteers who have made it so.

You can read more about Bush for Life and their achievements here. I'm sure the program will find a way to continue in some reduced form, but meantime I'll be letting the Minister Who Used to Have Scruples know how I feel.

Last one for the year

Possibly the last orchid for the year is popping up across the property. Many wouldn't recognise Dipodium roseum as a member of the orchid family, yet the Pink Hyacinth Orchid is one of the largest orchids in this part of the world.

As it emerges from the earth, the shoots resemble asparagus shoots, as this picture shows.