Local finds

The ’dog beach’ or Nobbys, near Port Macquarie, is only a short walk along a busy road  away from me. But even on the roadside, there are surprises, like these native Everlasting Daisies, Coronidium elatum.

The native Hardenbergia vine was splashing its royal purple about, even climbing up saplings where it came across them.

Two other flowering plants caught my eye, but both unfortunately proved to be introduced invasive ‘weeds’ from South Africa, so the boffins tell me.

The first was a plentiful shrub of purple and white flowers, Polygala myrtifolia.

The other, less plentiful, was Tephrosia grandiflora, the Grand Hoary Pea, although its buds were not quite open, so looked less pink than the flowers do.

There are many figs in the wind-shaped tangle of trees and bushes that hug the coastal hill that Pacific Drive runs along. But this curvaceous fig is sheltered, so I still do not understand its loopy choices.

You need to be early on this beach, or the many doggy pawprints obscure any other evidence of creature visits, so I was pleased to find this bird print trail still visible. 

Unfortunately some dogs left other less pleasant ‘souvenirs’, which their owners are supposed to collect and take with them.

Those pawprints also ruin a good photo; I was lucky to find this relatively unspoilt runoff pattern. Rutile?

But dogs can’t impact the impressive rock piles here. I liked that this large one was untidily piled enough to leave chinks of sea light shining through.

So even close to home, it’s worth keeping your eyes open for what Nature will surprise you with next.