Fur, Feathers, Flowers and More #22

A whole lot of mulching has been going on - thanks particularly to Richard L who has adorned Sherwood Road frequently in his overalls and mask.

Up in the nursery things are moving along now some warm sunny days are with us.

Liz D has planted out some wildflowers from the nursery down at Ashby Grove. Some are already in flower (Schoenia sp.) but the Rhodanthe, Helichrysums and Xerochrysums will be a little slower.

The warm Spring is likely to impact the famous Tesselaars Tulip Festival so go soon if you want to see the best blooms.

Plant of the Week

Pigface

This succulent is an under-rated plant.

Incredibly hardy, easy to propagate, spreading but not too invasive - it is a simple matter to chop off surface runners with a spade.

There are native Australian varieties (mostly coastal plants), but also imported species.

The humble pigface is bush tucker, and the juice of the fleshy leaves is also used to treat insect bites.

Bird of the Week

Long-billed Corella

We see plenty of Long-billed Corellas about but likely not up close enough to easily distinguish them from their fellow cockatoos.

They are often in mixed flocks of Short-billed Corellas, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos & Galahs feeding on grass street verges and sports fields.

Sometimes Red-Rumped Grass Parrots and Wood Pigeons are foraging with them.

The distinctive scarlet markings around the face, and the blue skin around the eye, and their modest crest, can go un-noticed among the other birds.

Beast of the Week

Numbats

Now we are very unlikely to see these guys scurrying around our locale anytime soon, but this is a good news story.