moloch05
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Here are a few more shots of the Kalbarri area. The little village is located inland a short distance from the mouth of the Murchison River.
The coastal portion of the park was very scenic. This year, the temps were cool and the wind high so I spent little time on the trails above the ocean.
Most of my time was spent in the heath habitat where the flowers were incredible.
This was the habitat of my favourite lizard, the incredible Moloch or Thorny Devil. I was very lucky to see this animal. We did not see it at all during our two days at Kalbarri. We only saw it on our return journey when we returned to the town to pick up the recharger to my wife's mobile phone. This one, like all the others that I have seen, was on the road. I have never spotted when when I walked through the shrubland. I guess that they are fairly small, don't move fast and are cryptically coloured.
It had such amazing spines. They move in an interesting way with lots of rocking before they finally take a step.
I also saw a few Bobtails or Shinglebacks (Tiliqua rugosa).
This was a sad sight, a DOR Western Blue-tongue (Tiliqua occipitalis). I saw a live one as I passed through a small town near the turnoff to Kalbarri but I could not stop in time due to traffic. When I did return, it has already moved out of sight into thick scrub.
Sand Goannas (Gould's Monitors) were a frequent sight. The first one has lost its tail. I suspect that it may have been a lucky escape from a car.
I saw many Pygmy Bearded Dragons (Pogona minor) on this trip but I never seemed to have the right lens on at the time. This shot was with my macro of one resting on the side of the road.
I saw this Echidna on the road one night. I attempted to move it off the road and it then rolled into a ball and literally rolled off the road. I have never seen one pull itself into a tight ball like this.
FLOWERS
As I mentioned before, Kalbarri is rich with flowers. One of my favourite genera is that of the Feather Flowers (Verticordia). These plants are covered with masses of brightly coloured and often oddly shaped flowers. They are members of the same family as Eucalyptus.
Verticordia monadelpha -- the most common and conspicous Verticordia in Kalbarri.
Verticordia venusta (I think)
Verticordia dichroma
Verticordia aculata -- a stunning plant that sometimes grew in rings with the flowers massed around the outer edge of the ring.
A nice red-flowered Verticordia:
Several species of Banksia were a frequent sight.
Beaufortia aestiva
Beaufortia squarrosa
Scholtzia uberiflora
Scaveola phlebopetaria
This is the Eucalyptus with the biggest flower. The tree is spindly but the flowers are the size of an apple. It is a E. macrocarpa.
Further inland, the soils changed and so did the plants. Mulga trees and the feathery mulla-mullas became common.
Flowering shrubs were largely replaced by annuals.
As you can see, there are a great number of beautiful plants in the Kalbarri region.
Regards,
David
The coastal portion of the park was very scenic. This year, the temps were cool and the wind high so I spent little time on the trails above the ocean.
Most of my time was spent in the heath habitat where the flowers were incredible.
This was the habitat of my favourite lizard, the incredible Moloch or Thorny Devil. I was very lucky to see this animal. We did not see it at all during our two days at Kalbarri. We only saw it on our return journey when we returned to the town to pick up the recharger to my wife's mobile phone. This one, like all the others that I have seen, was on the road. I have never spotted when when I walked through the shrubland. I guess that they are fairly small, don't move fast and are cryptically coloured.
It had such amazing spines. They move in an interesting way with lots of rocking before they finally take a step.
I also saw a few Bobtails or Shinglebacks (Tiliqua rugosa).
This was a sad sight, a DOR Western Blue-tongue (Tiliqua occipitalis). I saw a live one as I passed through a small town near the turnoff to Kalbarri but I could not stop in time due to traffic. When I did return, it has already moved out of sight into thick scrub.
Sand Goannas (Gould's Monitors) were a frequent sight. The first one has lost its tail. I suspect that it may have been a lucky escape from a car.
I saw many Pygmy Bearded Dragons (Pogona minor) on this trip but I never seemed to have the right lens on at the time. This shot was with my macro of one resting on the side of the road.
I saw this Echidna on the road one night. I attempted to move it off the road and it then rolled into a ball and literally rolled off the road. I have never seen one pull itself into a tight ball like this.
FLOWERS
As I mentioned before, Kalbarri is rich with flowers. One of my favourite genera is that of the Feather Flowers (Verticordia). These plants are covered with masses of brightly coloured and often oddly shaped flowers. They are members of the same family as Eucalyptus.
Verticordia monadelpha -- the most common and conspicous Verticordia in Kalbarri.
Verticordia venusta (I think)
Verticordia dichroma
Verticordia aculata -- a stunning plant that sometimes grew in rings with the flowers massed around the outer edge of the ring.
A nice red-flowered Verticordia:
Several species of Banksia were a frequent sight.
Beaufortia aestiva
Beaufortia squarrosa
Scholtzia uberiflora
Scaveola phlebopetaria
This is the Eucalyptus with the biggest flower. The tree is spindly but the flowers are the size of an apple. It is a E. macrocarpa.
Further inland, the soils changed and so did the plants. Mulga trees and the feathery mulla-mullas became common.
Flowering shrubs were largely replaced by annuals.
As you can see, there are a great number of beautiful plants in the Kalbarri region.
Regards,
David
