In order to see “just how much is going on”, you really need to get yourself/your camera near to ground level.
This post’s heroes are (I think) examples of Anigozanthos bicolor, commonly known as “little kangaroo paw” – a petite member of a small genus of bird-pollinated plants which also includes Western Australia’s (rather larger) floral emblem.
As you can surely see, the “hero” species is but one of many different plants that were flourishing on October 30 2023 in some wandoo woodland on the drier, inland side of the Darling Range, circa 100 kilometres southeast of Perth.
Wandoo – sometimes known as “WA white gum” – is a beautiful, slow-growing eucalypt; its wood is particularly hard.
Wandoo woodland is typically quite “open” and its “floor” is oft-punctuated by a very diverse array of flowering plants.
Click here to see a well-illustrated overview.
The next post will provide an even closer view of little kangaroo paws.
With this series, zooming in on/enlarging its images is likely to prove rewarding/revealing.
Footnote:
The “relevant” Wikipedia entry is incorrectly illustrated; it shows a related, but entirely different species. Its photo shows a “cat’s paw” rather than a “little kangaroo paw”.
Hi Doug
Kangaroo paws and Sturt desert peas are two of the most glorious and curious of our native flowers.
We enjoyed seeing the varieties in the “wild” and curated in Kings Park when we visited.
I like the contrast between the stems & flowers of the paws against the matrix of other grasses in the photo.