The Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus), family Rallidae, is a species of swamphen occurring in eastern Indonesia, the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands, as well as in Papua New Guinea and Australia. It is also found in New Zealand where it is known as the Pūkeko, derived from the Māori language.
The Australasian swamphen previously was considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio). In New Zealand and Australia populations have expanded due to the creation of new artificial lakes and ponds. Birds are often seen singly, or in groups of two to three, foraging for food beside motorways or roadside ditches, and collecting grit. A study showed that the preferred grit colour is red (followed by yellow and lastly blue) even though red grit is less common. Roadkill is a cause of mortality.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.
Eucalyptus leucoxylon, in the family Myrtaceae, commonly known as the Yellow Gum, (South Australian) Blue Gum or White Ironbark, is a small to medium-sized tree with rough bark on the lower 1-2 metres of the trunk, above this, the bark becomes smooth with a white, yellow or bluish-grey surface. Adult leaves are stalked, lanceolate to broad-lanceolate, to 13 x 2.5 cm, concolorous, dull, green. Flowers in white, pink or red appear during winter. The nectar-filled flowers attract native birds such as this Rainbow Lorikeet.
E. leucoxylon is widely distributed on plains and nearby mountain ranges or coastal South Australia, where it is known as the Blue Gum and extends into the western half of Victoria where it is known as the Yellow gum.The species has been divided into numerous varieties and subspecies. A spectacular red-flowered form of uncertain provenance Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Rosea’ is widely planted as an ornamental plant, it flowers profusely in winter.
A threatened subspecies known as the Bellarine Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon subsp. bellarinensis) is endemic to the Bellarine Peninsula at the south-eastern end of the species' range. The leaves are distilled for the production of cineole based eucalyptus oil.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.
The creek rises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow.
Here it is in the Darebin Parklands in suburban inner Melbourne.
This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.
At the top, eastern end of Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD, the Old Treasury Building is widely regarded as one of the finest 19th century buildings in Australia. The Old Treasury building was designed by nineteen-year-old architect J.J. Clark and built between 1858 and 1862. The building is now is now a museum of Melbourne history. Notorious Bushranger Ned Kelly's 'Euroa letter' or 'Cameron letter' is on display. The museum hosts the original gold vaults where gold bullion was stored during the gold rush era, as well as rare and historic documents from Public Record Office Victoria highlighting key moments from Victoria’s history.
The Old Treasury Building also houses the Victorian Marriage Registry that "caters to a wide range of cultures, preferences and budgets".
This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.
Southbank is an inner urban neighbourhood of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1 km south of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area are the Cities of Melbourne and Port Phillip. At the 2011 Census, Southbank had a population of 11,235.
Southbank was formerly an industrial area and part of South Melbourne. It was transformed into a densely populated district of high rise apartment and office buildings beginning in the early 1990s, as part of an urban renewal program. With the exceptions of the cultural precinct along St Kilda Road, few buildings built before this time were spared by redevelopment.
Today Southbank is dominated by high-rise development. It is one of the primary business centres in Greater Melbourne. Southbank Promenade and Southgate Restaurant and Shopping Precinct, on the southern bank of the Yarra River, extending to Crown Casino, is one of Melbourne's major entertainment precincts.
This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.
Lycium ferocissimum (African boxthorn or boxthorn) is a shrub in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The species is native to Cape Province and Orange Free State in South Africa and has become naturalised in Australia and New Zealand. It is listed on the Noxious Weed List for Australian States and Territories and is a declared noxious weed in the United States. The species was first formally described in 1854 by British botanist John Miers in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. His description was based on plant material collected from Uitenhage in South Africa.
African boxthorn is a large shrub which grows up to 5 metres high and is covered in spines. The leaves are oval in shape and are 10–40 millimetres long and 4–10 millimetres in width. The flowers appear either singly or in pairs at the leaf-stem junction. They are white or pale lilac with a lilac-purplish throat and are about 1cm in diameter, 5 petalled and fragrant. The calyx (the sepals of one flower collectively) is 4-7mm long and has 5 unequal teeth. The flowers are 10-12mm long with the 5 stamen projecting to 2- 4mm past the petals. The flowers appear mostly in summer but there is also some flowering throughout the year.
The fruit is a berry that is smooth and shiny with a short drooping stalk. It is globose (ball-shaped) to broad-ovoid shaped and is 5-10mm in diameter with a prominent calyx. The berry ripens to a dull orange-red colour with up to 35-70 seeds. The seeds are 2.5mm long by 1.5mm wide ovoid or irregular in shape and flattened. They are light brown to yellow and dull with small raised dots on the surface.
African boxthorn was introduced into Australia from South Africa in the mid 1800s and was commonly used as a hedge plant. It has become an aggressive invader of pastures, roadsides, reserves, remnant bushland and waterways. It forms an impenetrable, spiny thicket that inhibits the movement of stock and provides a haven for feral animals. Many insects, including fruit fly, the common house fly and the tomato fly, breed in the fruit of this weed.
African boxthorn is toxic to humans and will cause discomfort and irritation, but is not life-threatening. The berries, leaves, stems and roots are all poisonous, and can cause nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulties and unconsiousness.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Weekend Green meme.
