I did a bit of an audit on the acacias on my sister’s bush block. I counted five different species, four of which I am pretty confident on the ID. The fifth remains unidentified.
There are almost 1000 species of acacia in Australia!
acacias
Author: Hashi
tidbinbilla
The Sanctuary at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a large wetlands ecosystem surrounded by bushland that has been protected by a predator-proof fence for around 40 years, creating a refuge for a range of native animals.
We enjoyed seeing the similar-but-different small marsupials, Long-Nosed Potoroos and Southern Brown Bandicoots, free-ranging in the bush. Both have rat-like faces but move in unique ways.
canberra vibes
sublime
We made it Downunder! We took a long detour on the drive from Sydney to Queanbeyan and spent the day in the Blue Mountains, where the scenery is indeed sublime.
We ate a delicious meal at the Yellow Deli in Katoomba, and pegged it as a place to recommend and return to. But some reading on the religious group that owns the chain of restaurants has diminished our enthusiasm. A pity — because the food was really good!
last minute plantings
Yesterday I popped some seedlings into the remaining gaps in the veggie beds, with hopes of October meals. This morning, the mizuna has been entirely eaten by slaters. That’s a problem to solve on our return. Today we fly!
sad bodie
It’s as if she knows that tomorrow we’re going to leave her (in good hands!) for a month. Don’t be sad, Bodie. We’ll be back!
procambarus clarkii
Call me up next time there’s a Procambarus clarkii removal day in our watershed; I’d love to participate.
megalostomis pyropyga
This beetle’s name literally means big mouth fire buttocks. Quite an impressive moniker for a critter that’s only 1cm long. Small but mighty, indeed.
young vincent
I sketched this from the only authenticated photo of Vincent van Gogh, taken when he was 19. While he famously recorded himself in many selfie paintings, he apparently refused to sit for photographs as an adult. He didn’t even want to see photos of his family members.
He wrote to his sister Willemien on September 19, 1889, “I myself still find photographs frightful and don’t like to have any, especially not of people whom I know and love. These portraits, first, are faded more quickly than we ourselves, while the painted portrait remains for many generations. Besides, a painted portrait is a thing of feeling made with love or respect for the being represented.”
platanus racemosa
I took myself down to a nearby (dry) creek and sat in the shade of a California sycamore for a while. This is my favourite local native tree, with its mottled leopard bark and floppy clown-glove leaves. I’d plant one at our place if we had the water, but alas our block is too dry for a sycamore to thrive here.
hashiworks 