Christmas Bells arrive early at Barren Grounds

One of my Facebook friends, Caroline, asked me for some "Pretties" yesterday. So I promised to show her these wonderful Christmas Bells which I found at the Barren Grounds yesterday.

These Christmas Bells are the species Blandfordia nobilis.

I was pleased to be able to show these plants to my friend Pi-Wei, on a brief, late afternoon excursion. This gave her a chance to see some of the local plants in flower in nature, as distinct from in botanical artworks on her walls in the Gallery. There is a certain vibrancy in Nature which is impossible to capture in art (no matter how fine it may be), or photography - try as we might.

Christmas Bells Blandfordia nobilis

Close-up view of Blandfordia nobilis

Christmas Bells in situ - wet heath at the Barren Grounds

The habitat will also seem familiar habitat for Mick, as it is as close as we get to the "Wallum" habitat in her part of the world. Except that our wet heathland is on top of the Escarpment, at 600 metres. But it is a very high rainfall area, over a sandstone plateau. The Queensland "Wallum" country is, I believe, typically, coastal heathlands.

 This shot shows the range of micro-habitats here.

There is Epacris heaths in the foreground,

A large clump of Banksia ericifolia in mid-ground

then "Button Grass in the gully, then

as the soil rises in the distance, Eucalypts start, 

where the soil gets better drainage.

Habitat shot of wet heathland at Barren Grounds

Thelionema umbellatum - the Lemon Flax Lily

This is one of the prolific Boronias which flower at the Barren Grounds

and nearby Budderoo Plateau.

Boronia barkeriana

This one is a wet heath specialist.

Boronia thujona is found over shallow rock beds in the Barren Grounds.

It grows quite tall, (twice as tall as this plant)

and has pinnate leaves, 
which have a strong pungent odour when crushed.

Boronia barkeriana

  The lovely Round Leaf Tea Tree Leptospermum rotundifolium

This plant has large, soft pink flowers.
Very common on the sandstone heathlands and a prolific flowerer.

One of the loveliest plants on the heathlands.

Leptospermum rotundifolium

 This is the Pink Swamp Heath, Sprengelia incarnata

Sprengelia incarnata

And finally, to show one of my own favourite cultivated (garden) plants, the lovely "Duchesse de Nemours" herbaceous Peony. It is a Paeonia lactiflora variety. It has an exquisite scent.

White Peony - Duchesse de Nemours - a sweetly perfumed flower

I hope that there are enough "Pretties" for Caroline in this posting.