I am always amazed at the diversity of flowering plants in the reserve and the succession of plant species in one genus over the months. For instance, I have been looking at sundews lately and 2 months ago saw the red-leaved sundew Drosera bulbosa, with flat leaves and several flowers. Currently the Bridal Rainbow, a climbing species with white flowers, is in full flower (D. macrantha) and I have seen the beginning of the red-ink sundew (D. erythrorhiza), the Pimpernel sundew (D. glanduligera), the Pearly Sundew (D. picnoblasta) and a pygmy sundew with orange flowers (D. barbigera). Of these, I didn’t see the red-ink sundew last year so that will be another new record for the reserve. The sundews are carnivorous plants who capture and digest insects through the dewy glands on their leaf surface. They also get some of their nutrients from the soil. Sundews are not the only carnivorous plants here in Australia. You might have heard of the Albany Pitcher plant, and tiny bladderworts (Utricularia) which occur in wetter areas. Over the next two months I hope to see these coming into flower.
My next visit will be 5 to 10 September. If anybody wants to come along, let me know and we can meet up on site. If you have any questions, you can reach me by email at tarinrockbook@gmail.com or by phone on 0439978550.
Article by Jolanda Keeble