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| morning melody |
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| tree ferns in our gully behind the house |
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| view from the corner of the street looking into the Jamison Valley |
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| banksia ericifolia in flower in the winter |
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| seed pod with some pods open |
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| old seed pods collected for the fire in winter |
We have spent the past few days at our cottage in the Blue Mountains (1 and 1/2 hours from Sydney) enjoying the company of the birds and the peace and quiet. Because of the altitude (1000 metres) it is usually about 10 degrees cooler than the coastal plain so is always pleasant in summer. An old banksia needed lopping so the seed pods were collected to be used as fire starters in the winter. This mountain banksia flowers in winter and honeyeaters migrate to the area in large numbers to feed on the nectar. Unlike some other banksia varieties (of which there are about 50) the seed pod does not require a bushfire for germination but opens spontaneously.
(Giveaway! - last chance to be entered in the draw for the free skein of yarn - to be drawn on Friday)
