At last, we are starting to have the kind of weather that we should (historically) be having at this time of the year. Rain! Some bushland plants, such as Hairy Yellow Pea (Gompholobium tomentosum), have new shoots, and will soon be producing flower buds for their flowering season in a few month's time.
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| Old seed capsules on Gompholobium tomentosum |
Waking up this morning to the soothing hum of a drenching rain shower, it was easy for me to imagine all the paperbark trees and banksias soaking up the refreshing water falling on the bushland, after enduring months and months of typical Perth hot dry summer weather.
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| Wetland is dry land in summer |
Winter rains usually start around this time, and then the ephemeral wetlands soak up the rain, until they can't soak up any more, and the water forms pools on the surface of the soil. Some of these trees will be inundated; their roots will be under water. Raindrops sparkle in the foliage, waterways form around the trunks, tadpoles appear.
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| Dry land becomes Wetland after heavy rain |
Don't you think it's amazing that some of our local trees not only tolerate, but thrive in, these very different conditions?
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