The call of the Twenty-eight Parrot sounds like it is saying “twen-ty eight” The Twenty-eight is a striking parrot that you are likely to see or hear in bushland around Perth and the southwest corner of Western Australia. It is mainly green in colour, with a black head, yellow ring around the neck, red across […]
One Good Tern
Watching Fairy Terns on the Australian coastline is a rare treat Even if you don’t know a tern from a gull, you have probably noticed terns on beaches, rivers or lakes. In appearance they are like a slimmer, sportier version of a gull. But what really makes them noticeable is their striking method of fishing. […]
Tall Poppies
You don’t have to hunt around carefully to find the towering Gymea Lily When you are looking for wildflowers in Australia, you often have to look downwards and peer carefully to spot small flowers hiding in the undergrowth. But there are some striking exceptions to this rule. Maybe the most dramatic is the Gymea Lily, […]
Gondwana Origins
The Tassel Flower takes us back to a time before the Australian continent existed.. Visitors to the tall forests of southwest Australia are often struck by the fact that the eye-catching Tassel Flowers in the understorey look very much out of place. With their slender, bamboo-like fronds and star shaped whorls of leaves, these plants […]
Heads or Tails?
Both humans and would-be predators are confused by the appearance of the Bobtail. However you look at it, the Bobtail is a very weird creature. The large lizard grows to about 30cm (1 foot) in length, looks distinctly overweight, and has tiny legs that restrict its movement to a rather slow shuffle. But the oddest […]