Mosaic Monday ... Splashes of White.

I've been trying over the last two to three years to add more white-blooming plants to various corners of the garden.  It's now possible to spot splashes of white almost wherever I wander. 

Now I know those who garden in the northern hemisphere are probably not all that keen on seeing lots of white right now and I do apologise but I couldn't resist sharing some of these lovely white blooms.

I'm joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday  meme.

Mosaic Monday ... Waiting On The Wet Season

Here we are in mid-Summer and we're waiting patiently for the arrival of the wet season.  There have been a few light showers, but drizzle is not downpour and the garden needs the downpour after months and months of dry.  So we wait and look to the skies.

I'm joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday  meme.

Mosaic Monday ... Out and About at Lone Pine

I've just returned from spending some of the semester holidays with my grandchildren.  They really wanted to go somewhere where they could get close to koalas and so we spent a day strolling around the wonderful Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane.  It was founded back in 1927, and is the world's oldest and largest koala sanctuary.

Here's just a few of the animals we were lucky enough to see.

Koala, white Dingo, Barn Owl and Tasmanian Devil.


I'm joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday meme.

Mosaic Monday ... Signs of the Approaching Wet Season

After a long nine-month dry season, we've been looking for the signs of the imminent arrival of the yearly monsoonal wet season. 

Over the last week or so, we've seen quite a few leaden-grey skies.  We've listened to the quiet tinkle of light showers of raindrops sprinkling on the rooftop and courtyard.  We've smelt that heady sweet smell of rain in the air.  These sights and that sweet perfume of rain coming are, we hope, a promise of decent rain on the way.

The showers are most welcome, and I really don't want to complain, but we really need the drenching saturating downpours now.

I'm joining Mary for her weekly Mosaic Monday meme.

Mosaic Monday ... Bummed Out!

In reference to today's post title, I have to say I was a little 'bummed out' not to get a better shot of this marvellous creature that came visiting last night. 

Our lovely dog, Albert, alerted us to the fact that there was a very interesting visitor trying to get into the shadehouse, but unfortunately all I managed to get were a few rear end shots of this very special mammal called an Echidna.  We haven't seen one of these on our property since we moved in over ten years ago now, so it was a real treat even if we didn't get to see the whole creature.

Yes, I know it looks like a Hedgehog, but we don't have those here in Australia.  We do have the Short-beaked Echidna though, and it's not related to the Hedgehog at all. 

Echidnas are a very special animal.  Both the Echidna and the Platypus share the distinction of being the only remaining surviving 'monotremes' in the world.  What's a 'monotreme', I hear you ask?  Well, monotremes are a primitive link between the reptiles and the more advanced mammals.  Montremes are mammals that lay eggs, instead of giving birth to live young.

Now getting back to the post title ... If the real definition of 'bummed out' is "feeling depressed and sad about an issue", then this little creature fits the bill.

Our dog had a busy day yesterday.  Albert had this lovely little Ring-tailed possum cornered under the end of the verandah roof.  The poor possum was sitting there, looking very morose, for half the day yesterday.  

We tied up the dog, but he kept on barking every now and then, and the possum would be startled into inactivity every time.  It took hours and hours before the little poss eventually risked escape.  It managed to crawl along a stick I had jammed into the corner, and up onto the roof ... I'm sure I heard a little high-pitched scream of "Freedom" as the sun set in the west.

I'm joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday meme.

Mosaic Monday ... The Daylily Show

Well I'm back from my little break, and I was greeted by the sight of some of my lovely Hemerocallis on show.  This is their time to shine and I'm so looking forward to this last huge flush of colour before our horrid Summer arrives to take a toll on the garden.

Right now it's our last Spring month, and the daytime temperatures are climbing above 30 deg C, with humidity levels up in the high 70%s / low 80%.  The days are muggy, steamy and very, very warm.

Hemerocallis varietal names -
Top row L to R:  'Wedding Band', 'Jamaican Midnight', 'Archangel Eyes'
Middle row L to R:  'Jamaican Me Crazy', 'Francois Verhaert', 'Maleny Tiger'
Bottom row L to R:  'Shocking', 'Sweet Summer Heat' and 'Velvet Eyes'.

I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday ... It's Lily Time!

I've got a couple of pots of Oriental, Asiatic and L.A. Hybrid Liliums out in my courtyard, and they're providing fabulous sights and wonderful perfume at the moment.

I'm joining Mary for  Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday ... Roses, Roses, Roses.

I've been so fortunate to play a part in caring for the Roses in our school Rose garden, and this year has been a particularly great year for them.  They have been putting on the most fabulous display, and I've been bringing home beautiful big bunches of Roses to brighten up the house.

I just had to share the Rose bouquets I've enjoyed just in the last couple of weeks.

The colours and the perfumes are absolutely stunning.

I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday ... The Extension Is Finished.

A pair of Nectarinia jugularis or Yellow-Breasted Sunbirds (also known as Olive-backed Sunbirds) have been busy building a nest underneath the pergola out in my courtyard.

They have chosen a spot right over the stairway leading down under the pergola to the courtyard garden.  Can you spot it hanging like a chandelier from the cross-beam of the pergola?

It's mainly been the female building the nest, but I have seen the male flying in and out as well.  I'm assuming he's helping, although perhaps he's just checking that everything is to his satisfaction.  Anyway, they have been using all sorts of materials, like feathers, pieces of paper, pieces of bark, grasses and leaves, to create the spindle-shaped nest hanging off a Petrea volubilis vine.

Sunbird nests are quite distinctive.  They're long and pendulous, with a long trail of material hanging from the bottom.  But what's more fascinating to me, is the little extension added onto the entrance.  A little hood is attached over the entry and it's rather like a little porch roof to me.

Here are the before and after shots.

Before the porch roof ...

... and after.  It seems they've also added a lovely soft, fluffy 'welcome' mat!


I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday ... Down By The River.

Over the weekend, I found myself enjoying a leisurely Sunday breakfast at a park beside our local river.  This particular park is found in the city down by the Melaleuca and Eucalypt-lined Ross River.  It was a glorious Winter's day, with wide expanses of blue skies and fabulous sunshine.  The view was fantastic.

I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday ... Sunbird Magic!

The bugs are out and about and partying wildly.  No, not garden bugs, but the horrid virus bugs.  One of the downsides to our glorious winters here, is that it's also the time of year when the virus bugs are partying.  I've been laid low for a few days now with some awful virus, but something that's helped to lift me out of the sick doldrums is the sight and sound of these wonderful little creatures.

I've been enjoying the visits of a pair of Yellow-Bellied Sunbirds.  They've been dropping in a few times a day to enjoy the nectar of the Salvias and Schlumbergeras out in the courtyard, and the Pentas in the downstairs garden bed.

The male is magnificent with his metallic blue chest and throat.  The female, not quite as stunning, but lovely nonetheless.  They are tiny little things and  have the most impressive long curved beaks.

I'm joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday meme.

Mosaic Monday ... The most spectacular crab claws!

It's Zygocactus time here in the tropics.  You know it's our wintertime when they begin blooming.   Now I know Schlumbergera truncata are commonly called Christmas Cactus or Holiday Cactus in many places across the world, but not here.

Schlumbergeras are winter bloomers and, of course, our winter happens in June, July and August.  Hence the common names used here are Zygocactus or Crab Claw Cactus.  Anyway, whatever they're commonly called, they are such beautiful things when covered in their unusual blooms.  Both mine are blooming now.

I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday ... There's Two Sides To Almost Every Story!

The Hypolimnas bolina, known as the Common Eggfly or Varied Eggfly Butterfly, is indeed a very common sight in gardens here.   Although I have to admit that I've been seeing quite a few females lately and not many males! 

The females are such lovely creatures, but there are literally two sides to them.  No, I'm not talking personality ... I'm talking about the markedly different colours on the upper and undersides of the female's wings.  

The upper sides of her wings are black with white spots and orange patches. 

But the underside is decidedly brown with a whitish band crossing the wing and little white spots at the edges.  I've often wondered about the reason for this.

I'm joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday meme.

Mosaic Monday ... Blooms, Butterflies, Big Moon and Blue Sky.

We've begun our last Autumn month here in north-eastern tropical Oz and I have created just a simple mosaic to show what's been going on in my corner of the world in the last week.

There have been loads of Common Grass Butterflies, glorious blue-sky days, blooms on the old faithfuls as well as the up and coming annuals, and a fantastic big big moon lighting up the bushland at night.

I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday ... A Pinch And A Punch Of Pink and Purple

Here we are ... it's the beginning of April, our mid-Autumn month and there's some pink and purple out in the shadehouse and courtyard gardens.  Finally the skies have cleared and the rain has finished ... but the garden is looking a little drab.  So it's great to see these soft splashes of colour in a garden that's slowed down considerably after our 'wet' season.

I'm joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday meme.

 

Mosaic Monday ... At The Parklands.

I was lucky enough just recently to be able to visit the Roma Street Parklands down in our capital city.  This fabulous parkland area is located right in the centre of the city, but when you're there you feel like you're a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life. 

I've only highlighted a few corners of this vast parkland, primarily the water features along the parkland creek and lake, and the garden known as 'The Spectacle Garden'.  There's so much more to this special place.  It's a must see whenever you have the opportunity to visit Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.

I'm joining Mary at Little Red House for her Mosaic Monday meme.  Make sure you pop on over there to see loads of fabulous mosaic creations from people all around the world.