The student prizes are one of many ways we as a society try to bridge the inter-generational gap. And the older folks have a lot to share, believe me!
Perth Branch is supporting UWA students; Northern Branch is looking at ECU while Murdoch Branch is obviously looking for the best students around its own bush that is Murdoch University and TAFE Challenger.
Last two years Murdoch Branch had a great honour to award four outstanding people. Pawel – our (tall) president of the last two years (2015-2016) is very happy to hand over the awards to:
1. Merryn – the best student in “Plant Diversity” in 2015:
From Left: Secretary Christina Birnbaum, The Winner Merryn Prior, President Pawel Waryszak.
The Wildflower Society of WA newsletter (August 2016, Vol 54 No 3) has now been published electronically. Members who have elected to receive electronic copies of the newsletter will have received the necessary details by email today. The printed newsletter should be in your hands soon.
The stunning cover photograph is Paracaleana nigrita, a duck orchid. Duck orchids have an unusual, insectlike labellum which flicks over when touched. The labellum is attached to the column by a flexible “claw” which bends under the weight of a pollinating wasp. Photo by Mark Brundrett.
Following the super interesting presentation on Nyungar food by Steve McCabe we asked him to share a story on intriguing Typha with us in writing. Enjoy the read. Big Thanks Steve:
Two species of the Typha occur in WA – Typha domingensis and Typha orientalis.The best way to tell the two species apart is to measure the leaf width, if most leaves are broader than 8mm, it is probably T. orientalis.
Typha species have many common names including bulrush, cattail, reedmace and cooper’s flag reed.
On March 29, 1834, less than five years after the 63rd regiment arrived to take possession of Western Australia for the British Crown, the Swan River colonist George Fletcher Moore recorded in his diary that Nyungar people were: Continue reading “Nyungar Food ‘Yanchet’ – Intriguing Typha”→
Diana’s very passionate and long service to the Wildflower Society has been awarded.
Diana’s willingness to take on leadership roles for the Wildflower Society is admirably demonstrated by her being President of the Murdoch Branch, twice, the first time as the 3rd President of the Branch in 1992-1994 and again in 2008-2010. She was also Vice President in 1994-1995. She has been continuously on the committee of the Murdoch Branch since 1989, a year after it was founded in 1988.
Diana also served on the Society’s Management Committee in the mid 1990’s when she was engaged at the WA Herbarium. During this time, she managed, and contributed to, a flora survey of the Kalannie Goodlands at Dalwallinu. Diana also organised and participated in flora surveys the Cardup Nature Reserve and Adjacent Bushland, Byford, and Lake Kogolup, South Lake (2011) on behalf of the Wildflower Society.
Over the years, Diana’s enthusiasm for sharing her wide botanical knowledge, and in particular her love of the local flora, has resulted in a number of public wildflower walks conducted each year by the Murdoch Branch (stay tuned – they are still on this year!). Continue reading “Meet Diana Corbyn – 2016 Wildflower Society Awardee”→
Congratulations to Thomas Windsor, 2016 winner of the Wildflower Society of Western Australia Student Prize, which is sponsored by the Perth Branch. Thomas is studying both botany and zoology at UWA and hoping to become a research scientist. Thomas received his prize from Perth Branch President Greg Keighery at an awards breakfast on May 3, and we hope to hear a short presentation from Thomas on his studies sometime in the coming year.
The Wildflower Society of Western Australia held a very successful Open Garden for members on Saturday afternoon 18 June at the home of Eddy and Donna Wajon. More than 70 people came to have a peek at a normal suburban garden that had been transformed over the last 15 years from a traditional garden with some native plants and lots of lawn into a garden that was predominantly full of (mostly) Western Australian native plants.
Donna Wajon was busy serving a lovely afternoon tea with fresh strawberry snow-covered pine trees, blonde and chocolate brownies, lemon syrup cake and devilled eggs. She also served up tea and coffee, including tea made from Lemon Scent Grass (Cympogon obtectus) grown, collected and dried from their own native garden.
Eddy had his hand full taking numerous tours through the front and back garden, weaving amongst the more than 150 species of dense, randomly-distributed, labelled plants, naming them and talking about them.
He discussed where they came from, whether bought as tubestock from Wildflower Society or Friends of Kings Park plant sales, won at Wildflower Society meeting door prizes, obtained from rescue digs from big infrastructure projects such as roads and hospitals, or germinated from excess plant material, containing fruit, thrown out into the garden from his photographic and collection trips (under license). Although it was mid winter, there were numerous plants in flower, of most colours from red through orange to white, including the iconic Scarlet Featherflower (Verticordia grandis), Cockies Tongues (Templetonia retusa), Sea Urchin Hakea (Hakea petiolaris), Grevillea maxwellii and Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa), Hooker’s Banksia (Banksia hookeriana), Golden Dryandra (Dryandra nobilis) and Pear-fruited Mallee (Eucalyptus pyriformis). Plants propagated by the Northern Suburbs Branch of the Wildflower Society were available for sale, and they were so popular that 90% of the plants were sold.
People took away sachets of the popular Lemon Scent Grass tea, and looked at a display of Eddy’s photographs, including of orchids and of some plants that will feature in his up-coming (November) presentation at the Murdoch Branch of the Wildflower Society on the Flora of Hyden.
Members from most Branches of the Wildflower Society came along to enjoy perfect weather, gregarious company, and beneficial discussion and interest about plants and native gardens, so that more Wildflower Society Open Gardens are planned for the future. Stay tuned so you don’t miss out.
This was the first real activity for our new branch, South West Capes.
With unpromising weather in the hours before the walk, we drove to the starting point on Sues Road (locality Sabina River) with some trepidation. I expected there to be hardly any starters, as my phone had been busy with people cancelling, so I was quite surprised to find about 8 cars already there when I arrived at our strange start time of 12.30 p.m. – this was to allow people coming from a distance to arrive home before the kangaroo activity. In the end, we had just under 30 walkers (2 children) coming from Augusta, Margaret River, Cowaramup, Dunsborough, Yallingup, Capel/Peppermint Grove Beach, Donnybrook, Sabina River/Yoongarillup, Busselton – the length and breath of our new branch region.
We must have looked a picture, with our rain gear and umbrellas! Someone said, “Mad dogs and Englishmen … “. When our walk leader Andrew Webb arrived (SW botanist with the Department of Parks and Wildlife), we decided to give a part of the planned walk a go, and we hadn’t gone far before the rain disappeared, and we were so sorry so many had been put off by the weather. Some of the walkers baled out after the first stage (1.8 km), but most completed what turned out to be a circuit of 4 km. A few went on to a cuppa nearby owned by new Society members.
It turned out to be a magnificent day. A few of us took lists of the plant species we saw (about 130 species, not counting the many fungi spotted), and we’ll be sending this out to our South West Capes’ email list. I am sure some of the walkers will be back to this magnificent spot, and to other walks in the Whicher National Park.
In the main picture, Andrew Webb talking to Shirley Fisher. (Photographer: Chris Dunbar)
We are very pleased to announce that a new branch of the Wildflower Society – South West Capes Branch – was approved by the Management Committee of the Wildflower Society of Western Australia on Wednesday 1st June 2016.
This branch will comprise a larger area than normal for metropolitan branches, and include all the localities in the Cape to Cape region, plus Busselton, Capel, and perhaps Nannup.
This enthusiastic group already has 3 events planned – please check their page for updates!
This talk was given by Michael Morcombe on the 12th November 2015 at the Armadale branch general meeting.
Prior to the business meeting, the guest speaker for the evening was fellow member Michael Morcombe, whose topic was Pollination in an isolated region outlining the diverse and unique tactics by plants, insects, birds and mammals.
Michael explained briefly how he became interested in this field by explaining that he was asked to write a book in which pollination was a part,but couldn’t actually find anything on pollination in the southern hemisphere in the university library. This began a long and interesting journey recording just how plants are pollinated in Australia resulting in many long road trips for his family and a lifelong interest in photographing their finds for Irene.
We have a unique flora here in Western Australia,so Michael showed some wonderful slides, many taken by Irene, of how the plants use insects, birds and mammals to help them with their pollination. Plants have adapted to be insect-pollinated and many have long tubes which cover the insects in pollen. Insects can see ultra-violet light and so what looks like a plain flower to the human eye actually shows a pathway to the nectar through the insects’ eyes. Generally insects are attracted to blue/purple/white flowers while birds are attracted to red/yellow flowers.
Orchids are very clever and have evolved to play tricks on insects. Many have parts which mimic female wasps and the orchid will therefore attract the male wasp dabbing a spot of pollen on his tail. Flowers are very specific about using their pollen much like delivering letters.
Banksia flowers have evolved to attract birds and provide a perch, pollen and insects. The pollen goes on the bird’s face and head. The flowers are densely packed so that they are not attractive to insect pollination. The fascinating thing about flowers is that depending on what flower the bird is attracted to, depends on where the flower will deposit its pollen on the bird. Michael said it was entirely possible that a Dryandrawill deposit its pollen on the bird’s head while Anigozanthospollen will be deposited on a bird’s back. Other plants may deposit their pollen on the breast so that the bird can virtually carry different pollens all over its body from many different plants.
Mammals such as the Honey Possum with its long snout will pollinate flowers as well as Fairy Gliders and Dibblers (a native rat which was presumed extinct for 83 years until it was rediscovered in 1967).
The Wildflower Society uses its independent technical knowledge of WA’s wildflowers to help you better know, grow, enjoy and conserve the wildflowers of Western Australia.
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