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Typically, signs of the “Do not…”/Strictly prohibited…” kind are dull and stern.
Rarely does one encounter even a failed attempt at humour.
So hats off to Transperth – the Perth (Western Australia) public transport authority – and to whomever won the advertising contract for the “no vaping on trains, buses, ferries and their stations” campaign!
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For wildflowers – most especially if one is photographing them – intensely bright sunshine is definitely NOT the “best” kind of light.
In the middle of the day, a lightly overcast sky is likely to prove a much better friend to a wildflower photographer – or to your naked eyes – than an intensely bright blue sky.
Generally, if you wish to capture a wildflower’s full natural beauty, the ideal circumstance is soft, late afternoon light.
This post’s hero was photographed with a longish (400 mm) lens in just such light, on 29 September 2025, in Perth’s Karrakatta Cemetery.
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Full disclosure: I do not know the name of the featured plant; in this instance the “UFO” is an “unidentified flowering organism” – unidentified by yours truly, at least.
The relevant “Hollywood” does sit within a wealthy city, but not in L.A.; Perth’s Hollywood Reserve is adjacent to the “far end” (i.e. furthest distant from main entry) of Perth’s Karrakatta Cemetery.
i think that this post’s hero is a member of the Proteaceae Family.
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This post shows the same species of flowering plant as in #18.
The location is only a few footsteps distant, and just three more minutes had passed.
This flower head, however, has a resident, venomous, ambush predator.
S/he is a member of the Family Thomisidae, which includes the “flower spiders” (aka “crab flower spiders” or “crab spiders”. “Crab spiders” is an umbrella term which also includes Thomisdae members who do not inhabit flowers/flower heads)
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You are looking at the flower head of one of several Melaleuca species that are commonly known as “honey myrtles”.
The Melaleuca genus has more than 300 members, most of them endemic to Australia; it also includes all of the bottlebrushes and paperbarks, plus some of the so-called tea-trees.
The genus is part of the Myrtle family.
I am pretty sure that the picture shows Melaleuca nesophila, a WA-endemic which naturally occurs only in the Albany-Esperance region.
It is however, a popular garden plant, commonly found in Australian gardens and parks.
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Commonly known as Royal Hakea, Hakea victoria is one of “our” planet’s most visually arresting plants.
Generally, it is their flowers that make certain flowering plants globally-celebrated, and keenly sought by gardeners.
With Hakea victoria, however, it is the leaves.
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You are looking at a plant which is widely cultivated because it is pretty, very easy to grow, and is now available in a range of flower-colour options.
Oxalis purpurea is one of many “alien invaders” from Southern Africa.
They displace native species.
Alas, they (and other weed species from southern Africa) now proliferate even in places dedicated to the conservation and showcasing of Australian native flora.
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There are indeed a huge number of arachnids in Perth’s Kings Park, but they are not uppermost in the minds of many visiting humans.
In springtime, it is spider orchids that draw many people.
Many of those humans wish to photograph them.
In their photos of spider orchids, actual spiders’ webs, and/or individual threads of spider’s silk, are often clearly visible; one such filament is present in the featured image, above.
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This post’s featured image was taken five minutes after the immediately-previous chapter’s.
As you can see, the bobtail was still abiding by an instruction famously issued by the most celebrated 20th century Welsh poet: Do not go gentle into that good night
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The Dugite is a highly venomous brown snake.
Pseudonaja affinis does very well in 21st century Perth, where house mice (“kindly”/accidentally introduced by European colonists) have become the species’ preferred prey.
Dugites, however do still target “traditional” prey: lizards, rodents and other snakes, including fellow dugites.
On 20 September 2025 a close encounter of the “dugite v bobtail” kind provided the most dramatic experience of our 42 years as frequent visitors to Kings Park.
We were in “wildflower” mode, and had not expected a “safari” experience!
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