Description: I found a colony of these Tongue Orchids (Cryptostylis Subulata) back in the Winter. I kept checking them every month or so until they put up flower stems. After that I visited every week - weather permitting - until in mid December - they flowered. Their exotic beauty was worth waiting for!
Description: These pretty blue flowers are Blue Stars (Chamaescilla Corymbas), and they are flowering everywhere in the woodlands of Southern Australia at present - it's Spring! Their vivid blue makes them easy to see. Found at Hochkins Ridge Flora Reserve in croydon North, Victoria, Australia.
Description: Love Creeper ( Comesperma Volubile) gets its name from its habit of closely hugging the trees and shrubs it climbs over. These pretty, but tiny, blue flowers are common in Spring in the woodlands of Southern Australia. Found at Baluk Willam Reserve in Belgrave South, Victoria, Australia.
Description: This is a Common Bird Orchid (Chiloglottis Valida), and was growing in a large colony. It's the only place I've ever seen these in numbers - with the special treat of a rare Green Bird Orchid in the middle of them! It's easy to see why it's called a bird orchid. Found at Hochkins Ridge Flora Reserve in Croydon North, Victoria, Australia.
Description: Ivy Leaved Violets (Viola Hederacea) are very common in the woodlands of Southern Australia in Spring. Their tiny flowers are hard to photograph as they are so close to the ground. I was lucky to find this one growing down a bank - it just meant I had to stand in a ditch to get to eye level!
Description: These colourful birds really are the same species - believe it or not! The red and blue one on the left is the female and the green one is the male Eclectus Parrot. They have a nest in this hollow tree in the Great Aviary at Melbourne Zoo in Victoria, Australia. Think she's scolding him - maybe he didn't do his share of the housework!
