Wildflowers of South Australia

[Guest]

Note the bullet holes in the signage - (a mindless Aussie sport!)

When Thomas Grey wrote in his Elegy to a Country Churchyard,
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
he was of course not referring literally to wildflowers.

Yet the words of his elegy rang in my mind as I drove hundreds of kilometres southwards
from the opal fields of Coober Pedy and saw these exquisite blooms tossing their heads in the breeze.

Sturt Pea
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2.

I'm not up with the names of our native flora, I can only prevail upon either Lyn or Ross to ID this exquisite carpet of wildflowers.
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4.

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

You certainly have found nice specimens of the plants Mark.

[Guest]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

You certainly have found nice specimens of the plants Mark.

Thanks for commenting, Ross. Much appreciated.

I am somewhat astounded that the beauty of these specimens inspired no comment from the other 103 viewers

[Bikie John]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

We were dumbstruck, Mark

But really, I couldn't think of anything more intelligent or informative to say than "good shots of interesting flowers" so I didn't. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them.

John

[OM USer]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

I like that last shot, a lovely carpet of flowers.

[Chevvyf1]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Mark I LURVE the Sturt Pea ! do you have any shots of them from ground up ? or other than from top view ? Please ?

ps I am making Australian Jelly Cake, individual, for a BBQ Lunch Party in October

[OlyPaul]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Nice set Mark ,you certainly have flowers down under I have not seen before, thanks for sharing.

[Greytop]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Mark the red and black flowers are really quite stunning.
The guys using the sign for target practice need to adjust their sights!

[Ralph Harwood]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Hi there Pandora!

I must have missed this one yesterday. The Red flowers are certainly different, not sure if I like them or not, but the pink flowers against the red earth in the last is a great picture for me.

Cheers,

Ralph.

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

I can only prevail upon the good graces of Lyn to name it, although presently my stocks with her are possibly at an all time low...

You can only blame yourself for that!

[Zuiko]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Astonishingly beautiful, Mark. I particularly like the last one, with the flowers spread like a carpet amongst the trees.

I agree that shooting a sign is a mindless thing to do but you have to give it to 'em, they're fair dinkum shots.

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Mark I LURVE the Sturt Pea ! do you have any shots of them from ground up ? or other than from top view ? Please ?

ps I am making Australian Jelly Cake, individual, for a BBQ Lunch Party in October

The Sturt's Desert Pea is actually a ground cover & you can read all about it here.

http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/fact-sheets/in-the-garden/flowering-plants-shrubs/sturts-desert-pea/#.VAEMJh5daSM

And here.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swainsona_formosa

The flowers are about 9 centimetres in length and grow in clusters of around half a dozen on thick vertical stalks (peduncles), which spring up every 10-15 centimetres along the prostrate stems in a bright red, which may be up to 2 metres in length

[Guest]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Hi there Pandora!
I must have missed this one yesterday. The Red flowers are certainly different, not sure if I like them or not, but the pink flowers against the red earth in the last is a great picture for me.
Cheers,
Ralph.

Thanks Ralph, to see them in reality is quite different from seeing them as images - in their Outback habitat they sort of fill one with joy.

Mark the red and black flowers are really quite stunning.
The guys using the sign for target practice need to adjust their sights!

Yes Huw, to both comments I think so too!

Nice set Mark ,you certainly have flowers down under I have not seen before, thanks for sharing.

Thanks Paul - spotting them in the desert was a real thrill. Last time I saw them was on a trip to the red centre during the 70's.

[Guest]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Mark I LURVE the Sturt Pea ! do you have any shots of them from ground up ? or other than from top view ? Please ? ps I am making Australian Jelly Cake, individual, for a BBQ Lunch Party in October

It's something of a privilege to see the Sturt Pea in bloom in its Outback natural setting, Chevvy.

Just a flash of scarlet out of the corner of my eye as the Pulsar was creaming down the Sturt Highway at 130 clicks, caused me to chuck on the anchor and drive back a few hundred metres, and sure enough, just as I thought, a cluster of Sturt Pea in peak condition, not a blemish on any! As Ross says, the Sturt Pea is a ground cover plant and they photograph best from a fairly steep angle above. Although I did get down and dirty to shoot a few shots but binned them.

Love Jelly cake too by the way, my sister used to make it.

I like that last shot, a lovely carpet of flowers.

Thanks OM.

We were dumbstruck, Mark
But really, I couldn't think of anything more intelligent or informative to say than "good shots of interesting flowers" so I didn't. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them. - John

Thanks John, glad to hear that you enjoyed them ! - I know the feeling though - sometimes I see shots that others have taken that leave me at a loss for words.

[Guest]

Re: Wildflowers of South Australia

Astonishingly beautiful, Mark. I particularly like the last one, with the flowers spread like a carpet amongst the trees.
I agree that shooting a sign is a mindless thing to do but you have to give it to 'em, they're fair dinkum shots.

The carpet of flowers beside the highway was a real joy, John. I could scarcely believe what I was seeing.

The Sturt Pea is a most unusual looking plant quite unlike any other. Its eerie black eyes are quite transfixing - one almost feels like he's being scrutinized!

Fair dinkum gunshots indeed, mate ... "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi"