Author: Mrs A
Location: Tozer’s Bush Camp, Bremer Bay
Distance walked: 6 km
We did something quite different today, joining Terry, an amateur botanist passionate about orchids, on a wildflower hunting expedition around the bushland surrounding Tozer’s bush camp. I must admit we have very limited knowledge of Australian flowers, and Western Australia seems to be richer in diversity than anywhere else we have been – possibly due to the smaller population and poor soils for farming purposes.
The three hour tour commenced at 10am and we were immediately educated with stories of the importance of the right amount of bushfires to help distribute seeds and open hard seed pods and shown the impact fire can have on the land. Then there were the orchids. Many are dependent on the sun to open (particularly the Shy Sun Orchid which will close up as soon as the clouds come over), whereas others just need warmth.
Below a few that we saw – I will try to remember all the names, but can’t guarantee they are all right!!
There are many many more but they will have to wait for a wifi connection – we’re running low on mobile data.
It was a fabulous morning, and we returned for lunch with our heads spinning with all our learning.
We concluded our day with another walk, trying to remember what we had seen during the morning and spot more flowers, while enjoying the serenity of the bush. We finished up at the communal campfire for a chat with our fellow campers before heading back to the mobile apartment for dinner as the sun set. Just another day in paradise!
Lovely photos Catherine! Will keeps that tour in mind for next year.
Definitely recommend it. It really opened our eyes to the Australian bushland and so interesting 🙂