I do love white flowers; it's an unaccountable thing.
Knowing that the Agapanthus will eventually have to go, I began by removing the blue ones, but one day, the white ones will too.
The bargain I have made with myself is that I will take them out when there is sufficient adjacent, replacement cover for the small creatures, that they so effectively protect and provide for.
In the meantime, they are just beginning to flower again and birds are making the most of their bounty.
The Eastern Spinebills (Acanthorhynchus tenuirstris) make great use of them.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
A Postponed Post "There's no point offering excuses ... "
I just discovered that this post had not gone up and I am not going to rewrite all this, but it matters ... at least the information is important to ME and I want to share it.
So, from my very own wayback machine, here it is from August / September, 2013!
I haven't been lazy, actually ... more like "busy".
This year has brought new grandchildren (two days caring a week) and lots more traveling.
More directly relevant though has been the ongoing caring for this block.
My weeding proceeds very well, though dramatically reduced.
I am sure it must sound boring (or be boring to read about) but I find I enjoy it; it is quite rhythmical (until this time of year) and I can always look back at the end of a solid days' work and see the results for a few weeks at least.
About now the ground is getting dry and hard and it is hard to pull the weeds up, so from here on it is not a big part of my days.
Watsonia Report.
This year the block was inspected officially by an Environment Department officer who first surveyed the block over 10 years ago and registered it for assistance.
He not seen it since then.
Because of the long time the change was apparently very striking and he indicated that he was so impressed by the progress in that time that he volunteered extra help.
Part of the deal was that he had been looking for a "trial site" for a new herbicide which is getting good results in Western Australia, so he decided this block was a worthy contestant for that funding.
As a result a professional team of five worked here for a couple of days carefully painting the herbicide on the Watsonias and the resultant kill is stunning.
In past years I have FILLED a ute with just the cut off flowering stalks and sent over 10 cubic metres of pulled-up-by-the-roots entire plants to the landfill; this year I have only been able to find about 150 seed heads.
More than that, my one fear was proved groundless.
I was afraid that there would be a lot of "by catch", ie of good plants growing close to the poisoned watsonia being killed as well.
That has not happened.
In some places Watsonias grew intermixed with Correa, Pimelia, Dianella, Lomandras, and more and they are all still green as ever while surrounded by dried, yellowed watsonias.
So, great progress and I look forward now to being able to diversify my weeding.
Did I say that the Watsonias were the big story?
Well, a bigger one is that it would seem that the block is to be accepted as an official "Heritage Bush" site.
After much back-and-forthing the final document ( four copies of it) are now with the Minister for his / her signature.
There will be many restrictions on what I can do here, but none that trouble me unduly; mostly they are things I would not ever do, although technically I ought not "prune" plants either (which I do).
If that is what it takes to try to protect the bush in the long term, I am happy to live with that.
So, from my very own wayback machine, here it is from August / September, 2013!
I haven't been lazy, actually ... more like "busy".
This year has brought new grandchildren (two days caring a week) and lots more traveling.
More directly relevant though has been the ongoing caring for this block.
My weeding proceeds very well, though dramatically reduced.
I am sure it must sound boring (or be boring to read about) but I find I enjoy it; it is quite rhythmical (until this time of year) and I can always look back at the end of a solid days' work and see the results for a few weeks at least.
About now the ground is getting dry and hard and it is hard to pull the weeds up, so from here on it is not a big part of my days.
Watsonia Report.
This year the block was inspected officially by an Environment Department officer who first surveyed the block over 10 years ago and registered it for assistance.
He not seen it since then.
Because of the long time the change was apparently very striking and he indicated that he was so impressed by the progress in that time that he volunteered extra help.
Part of the deal was that he had been looking for a "trial site" for a new herbicide which is getting good results in Western Australia, so he decided this block was a worthy contestant for that funding.
As a result a professional team of five worked here for a couple of days carefully painting the herbicide on the Watsonias and the resultant kill is stunning.
In past years I have FILLED a ute with just the cut off flowering stalks and sent over 10 cubic metres of pulled-up-by-the-roots entire plants to the landfill; this year I have only been able to find about 150 seed heads.
More than that, my one fear was proved groundless.
I was afraid that there would be a lot of "by catch", ie of good plants growing close to the poisoned watsonia being killed as well.
That has not happened.
In some places Watsonias grew intermixed with Correa, Pimelia, Dianella, Lomandras, and more and they are all still green as ever while surrounded by dried, yellowed watsonias.
So, great progress and I look forward now to being able to diversify my weeding.
Did I say that the Watsonias were the big story?
Well, a bigger one is that it would seem that the block is to be accepted as an official "Heritage Bush" site.
After much back-and-forthing the final document ( four copies of it) are now with the Minister for his / her signature.
There will be many restrictions on what I can do here, but none that trouble me unduly; mostly they are things I would not ever do, although technically I ought not "prune" plants either (which I do).
If that is what it takes to try to protect the bush in the long term, I am happy to live with that.
Welcome to 2014
Though this blog has been neglected, the block has not.
That it is raining again this morning, means I will be out there weeding AGAIN as well.
I take every opportunity that softened soil provides and 14mm of rain over two days is perfect.
The most recent news is that all the many rounds of inspections and paperwork for this block to be a Heritage Protected one, have been completed. I understand the documents are now awaiting the Minister's signature.
It's been a long time and a big job, but I am pretty excited about it.
I have also been traveling to Eyre Peninsula a lot and THAT has taken heaps of time and energy.
I think the time has come to pull my head in and focus at home a bit more, and my own resolution (prompted by Snail's MUCH more demanding one*) is to ensure I update here once a week.
For the moment, I am listening to Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos feeding a youngster while the usual suspects go about their early morning greetings to the day.
Right now the dominant blossom is our Chirstmas Bush, Bursaria spinosa.
And THIS is the biggest one I have ever seen, in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
*waves to Snail!*
http://snailseyeview.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/jottings-from-tropics-new-years-day-2014.html
That it is raining again this morning, means I will be out there weeding AGAIN as well.
I take every opportunity that softened soil provides and 14mm of rain over two days is perfect.
The most recent news is that all the many rounds of inspections and paperwork for this block to be a Heritage Protected one, have been completed. I understand the documents are now awaiting the Minister's signature.
It's been a long time and a big job, but I am pretty excited about it.
I have also been traveling to Eyre Peninsula a lot and THAT has taken heaps of time and energy.
I think the time has come to pull my head in and focus at home a bit more, and my own resolution (prompted by Snail's MUCH more demanding one*) is to ensure I update here once a week.
For the moment, I am listening to Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos feeding a youngster while the usual suspects go about their early morning greetings to the day.
Right now the dominant blossom is our Chirstmas Bush, Bursaria spinosa.
And THIS is the biggest one I have ever seen, in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
*waves to Snail!*
http://snailseyeview.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/jottings-from-tropics-new-years-day-2014.html
Thursday, May 16, 2013
It's cold and wet outside again :)
But it is warm and dry inside, as of today.
I went for reverse cycle heating and cooling a couple of years ago, and though I do like the convenience of it, I don't like the expense OR the barren feeling that losing my wood stove left in the cottage in the winter.
Newly installed solar panels this past Summer allowed me to run the aircon throughout the summer and still get a credit on my power bill, which was a very welcome surprise and makes me feel better about my "carbon footprint (rightly or wrongly).
When I fired it up for the first time it made the place feel like "home" again .. it offers a place to read in the company of a friend.
That it is also so practical, is a joy.
Strangely, I LIKE doing all the "wood" jobs that having a wood-burning stove entails; that was my job as a child, from scavenging for kindling when very young, to chopping it when I was older.
My childhood on the Eyre Peninsula of SA always included several days through the autumn of "getting the wood in"; ie picking up stumps for the winter.
Now I know the significance of those stumps in the bush, but I confess that I still love going out "getting the wood" when it is necessary, and preferably from paddocks that have been worked up.
Here on my own bush block I do burn some of what is dead / fallen, despite knowing it probably should all be left to rot down; however the mid-calf depth of the ground cover (including fallen wood) I feel like I have some room to move on this.
Given my choice to burn wood at all, that doesn't seem to me to be worse than burning the tonnes of redgum that is delivered daily to our local wood yard; some part of our bush (presumably along the Murray somewhere?) must be being wiped out at a great rate.
I'm glad the new stove designs do a much better job of reducing pollution than those of my childhood.
In the meantime, I am enjoying it and the fact that it is Australian made.
(and today the installer comes back to put in the matching black flue, as ordered .
http://www.nectre.com/index.php?page=baker-s-oven
I went for reverse cycle heating and cooling a couple of years ago, and though I do like the convenience of it, I don't like the expense OR the barren feeling that losing my wood stove left in the cottage in the winter.
Newly installed solar panels this past Summer allowed me to run the aircon throughout the summer and still get a credit on my power bill, which was a very welcome surprise and makes me feel better about my "carbon footprint (rightly or wrongly).
THIS is going to keep me warm literally and figuratively this winter.
When I fired it up for the first time it made the place feel like "home" again .. it offers a place to read in the company of a friend.
That it is also so practical, is a joy.
Strangely, I LIKE doing all the "wood" jobs that having a wood-burning stove entails; that was my job as a child, from scavenging for kindling when very young, to chopping it when I was older.
My childhood on the Eyre Peninsula of SA always included several days through the autumn of "getting the wood in"; ie picking up stumps for the winter.
Now I know the significance of those stumps in the bush, but I confess that I still love going out "getting the wood" when it is necessary, and preferably from paddocks that have been worked up.
Here on my own bush block I do burn some of what is dead / fallen, despite knowing it probably should all be left to rot down; however the mid-calf depth of the ground cover (including fallen wood) I feel like I have some room to move on this.
Given my choice to burn wood at all, that doesn't seem to me to be worse than burning the tonnes of redgum that is delivered daily to our local wood yard; some part of our bush (presumably along the Murray somewhere?) must be being wiped out at a great rate.
I'm glad the new stove designs do a much better job of reducing pollution than those of my childhood.
In the meantime, I am enjoying it and the fact that it is Australian made.
(and today the installer comes back to put in the matching black flue, as ordered .
http://www.nectre.com/index.php?page=baker-s-oven
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Rain!
The rain gauge says 28mm overnight.
All good (especially from inside and with a good book and a coffee)
The CFS says the fires in the Adelaide Hills are "contained".
http://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/home.jsp
also
http://www.incidentalert.com.au/iav4/veMapv2.asp
All good (especially from inside and with a good book and a coffee)
The CFS says the fires in the Adelaide Hills are "contained".
http://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/home.jsp
also
http://www.incidentalert.com.au/iav4/veMapv2.asp
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Blue Wrens; Assertive, yes, but Aggressive?
Until a few weeks ago I only knew Blue Wrens to be "assertive".
I had often seen them, or more accurately _heard_ their alarm calls as they became agitated.
Recently though, I have twice seen them do very much more than just "warn".
I have seen them actively threaten several different species of birds so vigorously that they retreated.
The first time was in early March at a water tray / bird bath, on a warm day.
The new (to me) squawking* sound draw my attention from inside the house, though the windows were open, so that is not too surprising.
More unusual and surprising was the obviously aggressive stance; head and tail down and feathers of the back raised, such that its profile was larger than usual.
The bigger group of New Hollands returned as a group as soon as these Wrens had left
(entirely of their own accord).
At that stage I thought it likely that the young Honey Eater was more readily frightened than a larger or more mature bird, however later I saw the wren (the same one?) see off a Yellow Faced Honey Eater .
Later again a White-fronted Treecreeper approached the birdbath by creeping up the trunk towards the bowl.
It is quite awkward and takes a while to "make it" to the rim.
Two wrens this time, both squawking loudly and fluffed up threateningly crowded it until it flew away.
I'll let the pictures tell the rest of this story.
All's Well :)
* the second, informal definition fits perfectly.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/squawk
I had often seen them, or more accurately _heard_ their alarm calls as they became agitated.
Recently though, I have twice seen them do very much more than just "warn".
I have seen them actively threaten several different species of birds so vigorously that they retreated.
The first time was in early March at a water tray / bird bath, on a warm day.
The new (to me) squawking* sound draw my attention from inside the house, though the windows were open, so that is not too surprising.
More unusual and surprising was the obviously aggressive stance; head and tail down and feathers of the back raised, such that its profile was larger than usual.
The first incident began with five New Hollands bathing and squabbling among
themselves and chasing other birds away. having all chased another away, just one returned alone, to find two wrens bathing.
The female wren took off immediately but the male hopped onto the side of the dish and stood his ground.
The seemingly bemused New Holland Honey Eater, was hassled
energetically enough by the Blue Wren to be driven it off.
I could almost see it thinking, "Please don't anyone see this
... it's supposed to be the other way around .. someone tell it! Oh
the shame!"
The wren began from the opposite edge of the bowl, then gradually shuffled closer and closer, squawking
all the time, feathers fluffed
out and beak wide open.
Once the Honey Eater had been driven off, the other blue wren returned and continued bathing while th aggressive one stood on the edge; after which it took the plunge.
At that stage I thought it likely that the young Honey Eater was more readily frightened than a larger or more mature bird, however later I saw the wren (the same one?) see off a Yellow Faced Honey Eater .
Later again a White-fronted Treecreeper approached the birdbath by creeping up the trunk towards the bowl.
It is quite awkward and takes a while to "make it" to the rim.
Two wrens this time, both squawking loudly and fluffed up threateningly crowded it until it flew away.
I'll let the pictures tell the rest of this story.
All's Well :)
* the second, informal definition fits perfectly.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/squawk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)