Before I dive into this blog, I would like to fully admit it’s not the most “manly” of blogs as it is about flowers.
Yes, I know… pretty flowers.
Man, if my fantasy football mates caught wind of this it would be the end of me.
Even with that risk, I decided (with a little nudge from my wife) to write about the truly remarkable wildflowers of Western Australia (WA).
Now that spring is here, the peak of the wildflower season has arrived. It is kind of a double edged sword. On one side, my allergies and hay fever flare up. But on the other hand, the landscape is splashed with brightly colored flowers. And due to the country’s isolation there exists some of the most unique flora.
Let’s hope my allergies don’t get in the way of finishing this blog!
I’ll start with my favorite flower, which is also the state of WA emblem; the Kangaroo Paw. It is named this because of the resemblance it has to an actual kangaroo paw. I had a hard time seeing how it looked like an actual kangaroo paw until a kind neighbor pointed it out to me in their garden. See, the flowers are tube like and the one at the end curls back with these six claw-like shapes underneath that look like a paw.
The everlasting flower is another cool flower in the area that you almost have to touch to believe. They are a range of pink, yellow, white, and purple flowers that when touched feel like actual paper. Almost as if someone stuck a bunch of fake flowers in the garden so they would last forever. It’s really weird to touch. They say the name came from the fact that the petals actually stay attached to the flower even after it has died.
The wattle flower is the flora emblem of Australia. These come into bloom with large, fluffy, yellow flowers that are especially good for my allergies. Each flower head is really made of a bunch of tiny flowers together. I wonder “wattle” smell like?
The bottle brush bush (say that three times really fast!) is another local favorite and was named because it looks like, well…a brush used to wash a bottle. The flowers vary in color, but most are red. Some are yellow, green, orange, or white. The orange and white ones remind me of creamsicles!
Now I know this one isn’t a flower, but it is still pretty cool. It’s the boab tree. They grow in the desert areas of WA and have these huge, swollen looking trunks that hold all the water that they need to survive the dry season. I learned that if I am ever stranded in the Outback to look for one of these, tap a hole in the trunk, wait a few minutes, and water will dribble out!
Another tree that I find interesting is the star pine tree. They line the streets and parks here and the branches look as if they are growing straight up. I joke that it’s because we are “down under”, the tree is all confused as to which way to grow!
The marri tree is another beautiful specimen here in Oz, but I just had to add this one because I like the name of the seed it drops; honkey nut. I crack up every time I hear it, say it, see it, or type it. Honkey nut. Okay…I’ll stop now. It is a pretty tree, but the highlight of it is the honkey nut.
Please be sure to check out the attached pictures to really get a feel for the flowers that are making my eyes water and my nose run.
The bottle brush bush (say that three times really fast!) is another local favorite and was named because it looks like, well…a brush used to wash a bottle. The flowers vary in color, but most are red. Some are yellow, green, orange, or white. The orange and white ones remind me of creamsicles!
Now I know this one isn’t a flower, but it is still pretty cool. It’s the boab tree. They grow in the desert areas of WA and have these huge, swollen looking trunks that hold all the water that they need to survive the dry season. I learned that if I am ever stranded in the Outback to look for one of these, tap a hole in the trunk, wait a few minutes, and water will dribble out!
Another tree that I find interesting is the star pine tree. They line the streets and parks here and the branches look as if they are growing straight up. I joke that it’s because we are “down under”, the tree is all confused as to which way to grow!
The marri tree is another beautiful specimen here in Oz, but I just had to add this one because I like the name of the seed it drops; honkey nut. I crack up every time I hear it, say it, see it, or type it. Honkey nut. Okay…I’ll stop now. It is a pretty tree, but the highlight of it is the honkey nut.
Please be sure to
check out the attached pictures to really get a feel for the flowers that are making my eyes water and my nose run.
