Plants

Kimberley wildflowers

April 16, 2017 by Clare M 3 Comments

Over the past few months we have not only encountered some wet days, but also some days when we just had to get out there and explore the bush tracks. The birding has been rewarding as always and we have been able to add several birds to the 2017 year list that we may not see around Broome every year. The humidity has been very high until recently and not always ideal for being out for several hours at a time, but we have seen the some wildflowers that have been absent on drier years or in very small numbers. We have had the most magnificent blankets of wildflowers this year and I thought I should introduce you to some of them! I am not expert on our local wildflowers and scientists are constantly finding new species in remote areas of the Kimberley, so for some of the flowers I can only give you a family name.

Flooded tracks have been great for finding Marshwort and there have been huge expanses of the plant covering large areas of land. The feature photo shows Marshwort in the track.

Marshwort

Huge areas of Marshwort along the fence line and track

Ephemeral lakes have had some Water Lilies this year, which have been absent when they have not filled up in other years. I waded out to take these photos! The water was warm and the ducks floated off as I approached!

Water Lily

Around the edges of the lakes there are large numbers of a small white flower, which I believe to be Nymphoides Indica. It grows in very shallow water with its beautiful fringed petals.

Walking the bush tracks is a wildflower lover’s dream! Every colour is represented, but some areas are very yellow!

Wildflowers cover the land and along all the tracks

All of the surrounding land has burst with colour and there are a number of plants that are carnivorous. Thankfully they only prey on insects, because we have our fair share of dangerous animals in Australia without adding plants as a threat to our lives!!

 Trigger plant-traps ants

Carnivorous plant with sticky leaves to catch insects

Native Sundew

Wildflower that likes sand to grow in

Wildflowers across the drier land

Wildflowers in very damp areas

Although we do have a lot of land around us that appears inhospitable to a lot of plants there are some opportunistic plants that appear once the conditions are right and make for a beautiful landscape. It is hard to bring you the expanse of wildflowers through these photographs, but it will no doubt give you an idea into the spectacle that we have been enjoying for some months now. Bush walking in extreme heat has its rewards and not just the bird life!

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!