WATER FOWL

Moorhens at the Darebin Parklands.

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 My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

SUNSET APPROACHING

The days are getting noticeably shorter and the evenings are beginning to be consistently cool. Summer is departing and Autumn is approaching. Still, we are experiencing some beautiful, fine days, not too hot and not too cool - just like today. And as sunset approaches, it's time to think of the end of Summer too...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Photo Friday meme.

RED FLOWERING GUM

Corymbia ficifolia or the red flowering gum also known as Albany red flowering gum (previously known as Eucalyptus ficifolia) is one of the most commonly planted ornamental trees in the broader eucalyptus family. In 2009, genetic studies showed that C. ficifolia comprises a natural group with two other Western Australian species C. calophylla and C. haematoxylon. The group was classified as section Calophyllae within the subgenus Corymbia. It belongs to the family Myrtaceae.

It is native to a very small area of south coastal Western Australia (measured in just tens of kilometres) to the east of Walpole (430 km Southeast of Perth), but is not considered under threat in the wild. In nature Corymbia ficifolia prefers infertile, sandy soils but it is readily adaptable to most temperate locations, provided it is not exposed to severe frost or sustained tropical damp.

It is an ideal street tree as it is hardy, moderately fast growing, and rarely grows large enough to require pruning. The largest known single-stemmed tree in the world (216.5 cm diameter) is located on Princes Street in Hamilton, New Zealand. Because of its big and lovely colourful flowers, genetic improvement for cold resistance in Dublin area in Ireland is being carrying out by collecting seeds from Western and Southern Australia in the coldest parts of Australia where it grows. In Ireland most of the plants were killed by severe frosts but the surviving shoots have been kept by tissue culture.

It is difficult to graft but grows well from seed, typically taking about 7 years before it flowers for the first time and 15–20 years to reach something approaching its full size of anything between 2–8 m. For the home gardener, buying a "red flowering gum" from a nursery is something of an adventure: it may or may not be a ficifolia, and the flower colour does not breed true - there is no way to find out what colour the flowers will be short of planting a seedling and waiting for it to reach maturity! But one does get a wonderful surprise if pink or orange blooms appear...

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

ON THE BAY

Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or [locally] just "The Bay"), is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 square kilometres and the shore stretches roughly 264 km. Although it is extremely shallow for its size, most of the bay is navigable. The deepest portion is only 24 metres, and half the region is shallower than 8 m. The volume of the water in the bay is around 25 cubic kilometres. In this photo we are looking out towards Port Phillip Bay from an apartment in Southbank.

This post is part of the Watery Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

MELBOURNE'S GONDOLAS

Yes, Melbourne has gondolas swaying gracefully on the waters of the Yarra River! These are based on the traditional design of Venetian gondolas but are built in Melbourne and they cruise regularly on the Yarra, steered masterfully by gondoliers. A great way to enjoy a romantic ride down the river and see the sights from the water. More details here.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wednesday Waters meme.

SUMMER IN MORDIALLOC

Mordialloc is a suburb in Melbourne, Australia, 24 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston. At the 2006 Census, Mordialloc had a population of 7524. The name is derived from the Aboriginal term "moordy yallock", which translates roughly to "muddy creek."

Mordialloc Post Office opened on 17th October 1863. Mordialloc Creek is arguably the most significant feature of the suburb. Mordialloc Creek has a rich history of traditional wooden boat building. The Creek is still home to Pompei's boat works. Many classic boats line the walls of the creek and may still be admired today. Cafés, hotels and refreshment kiosks may also be found around the creek at its mouth near the sea. The beach attracts many on hot, Summer days.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Best meme.

PARKLANDS LAKE

The Darebin Parklands are home to echidnas, flying foxes, native fish, 70 species of birds, and even the occasional kangaroo. The Darebin Parklands are one of Melbourne’s best urban bushland reserves and only about 8 km from the City centre. I am lucky enough to live within walking distance of this wonderful nature reserve and as you can imagine, I visit often with camera in hand...

Always to be seen are ducks, moorhens and their young. Wonderful conservation work being done by the Darebin Parklands Association ensures that more and more native flora and fauna continue to flourish there.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Weekend Green meme.

SUBURBAN SUNSET

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

REFLECTIONS

A pond at the Darebin Parklands in Fairfield.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

PINK SUN-ORCHID

Thelymitra carnea, the pink sun orchid, is a perennial herb with fleshy egg-shaped tubers in the Orchidaceae family. It grows from 8 to 40 cm and has a slender reddish-brown stem. Plants are scattered. It has an erect single narrow to rounded channelled leaf 4-18cm x 1-2.5mm, green with reddish base, sheathing at base of stem; 2-3 sheathing stem bracts.

Each plant has one to four pink flowers up to 15mm across. Sepals and petals similar. Column pale pink, mid lobe with pink collar and yellow tip, short, narrow, not hooded; yellow column arms narrow, obliquely erect, margins scalloped; anther green. It flowers October to November.

The plant grows in moist soils which dry out in summer on margins of swamps. It prefers full sun to semi shade. Flowers only open on hot humid days, self-pollinating in cooler weather. It is found in Southeastern Australia and New Zealand. It is not threatened in the wild.

The use of native orchids in gardens is not recommended, unless they already occur naturally, in which case they need to be protected. Removing orchids from the bush usually results in their death and further depletes remaining wild orchid populations. Take only photographs, not plants from the bush!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.