Thursday, June 18, 2009

Mangroves

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Walking the River's Edge...




Yesterday
it was too perfect a day
to be inside
so I decided to walk along the river






to the Mangrove Boardwalk
and take a good look
at the plants that thrive there



a weeping Tea Tree



but on the way
I became waylaid...
as is often the case,







this time
looking at the variety of trees
that grow on the river's edge


and catching the glimpses between
the casaurinas and gums






The river path is lined with
she oaks - casaurinas
wattles- acacias
gums- eucalypts






and giant Cotton trees,
Hibiscus tiliaceus
was very important
to the early indigenous peoples.
The inner bark made fishing nets
and ropes,
wood was used for fire
and shield making
and also in herbal medicine






the white or grey mangrove
is the most common
and widespread mangrove
along the coast of Australia








the native bees use the trees
to make nests in
and Aboriginal shields
were made from the wood








this rounder leaf
looks like the Yellow Mangrove







the tallest mangrove
in the Noosa River system







with the lush green leaves
is the Orange Mangrove







it has the 'bent knee'
shaped breathing roots
called pneumataphores








and when the flowers petals
fall away
the torpedo shaped hypercotle
(young plant)
drops into the mud







and floats away.







Snails that live
amongst the mangrove roots
were cooked and eaten
by the Aborigines.








This wattle- acacia
called Blackwood
has a distinctive curly seed pod








the stalk passes
completely around the seed
and folds back on itself
exposing the glossy black seed.
The bark and twigs
were used as fish poison







The pencil like
breathing sticks
of the mangrove,
the pneumataphores







and along the path edge
wild grass






with horse hair mane
waves





and stately eucalypts
reign



*
and tomorrow
all going well
we may eventually arrive
at the Mangrove Boardwalk....

*

22 comments:

  1. Oh what beautiful flora, so different and so intriguing. Great pictures.

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  2. Hello Rosaria

    how are you?

    Mangroves are quite different to my usual rain forest haunts...

    Happy days

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  3. You write and photograph so beautifully that I think you should win a Tourism prize!

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  4. Oh Brenda

    you are very sweet - thank you for that...

    Happy days

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  5. hi delwyn! the pneumatophores are a revelation! who would've thought? i love the wild grasses especially though. i have some growing down by our pool that are native to this area that look very similar when they are fully matured. later in the summer / winter(!) i'll post some pictures and you'll see. have a peaceful day. steven

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  6. Delwyn...you certainly live in a colorful world full of a wide variety and unique looking plants...so much beauty to take in around you...am glad to be following!

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  7. Hi Steven

    The grass reminds me of the NZ toi toi which I have always loved. (my NZ posts show that grass)I wonder if your are like those...

    Happy days

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  8. Hello Wanda

    I was thinking the same thing as I explored the mangroves. Such a range of flora exists here and it is so different to NZ where I grew up.

    Happy Days

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  9. I always feel so refreshed and content after visiting your blog, Delwyn, and strolling along on your walks. There is always something wonderful to discover and such a sense of peace. Lovely. Thank you.

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  10. Thank you Tessa

    I am happy that my posts are able to engender those feelings...
    I will keep trying...

    Happy days

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  11. a few years ago, at a seminar in the philippines, we planted some little baby mangroves. it was in a conservation area at subic bay. sabin was just a little bitty girl and she had so much fun. i wonder how they're doing now. i'll have to see if i can find out. thank you for reminding me of that. :-)

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  12. Breathing sticks! I have never heard of them.I find it fascinating, what and how the indigenous peoples used the different plants. Lately I have been studying that here, to get into a more holistic approach to health. There is wild grass here that looks similar. And the fish poison? Was it used on spears?

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  13. Thank you for this beautiful walk. Our air conditioning is out today and I have the fan on. If I focus on your pictures and feel the gentle breeze I can transport myself there.

    Ahhh, that's lovely!

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  14. Fascinating again, Delwyn! those shocking pink weeping tea trees look more like Christmas decorations than anything in nature! and then for Halloween we have the orange mangrove drooping hands. and once again defying nature in the unbelievable feat of the white mangrove arching over a large expanse of water!! and a yellow mangrove carcher's mitt. and one more: the blackwood salt water taffy! Amazing!

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  15. Hi Julie

    given that climate they are probably an entire grove by now...

    Good luck with the blog camp. I am sure you have thought of everything and much more - you are such a creative pixie. Have a ball...

    Happy days

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  16. Hi Lorac

    I have been taking olive leaf extract- have you heard of that...it claims to cure everything from a-z but tests have shown it to be helpful with hypertension.

    Also in yesterday's paper they were talking about honey, which has been used medically for 1000s of years but specifically manuka honey (native NZ and Au variety) which has great healing powers over bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics and can no longer work. It is applied topically to skin infections but I am also eating some ...

    the fish poison I will have to look up...possibly spears, or maybe in fish ponds...


    Happy days

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  17. Hello again Grace

    Well it has become cooler here so imagine being 16*C (64*F) first thing this morning when I leave for the gym at 8.15am - where I will warm up no doubt...

    Happy days

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  18. Good morning Margaret

    you have a very colourful visual mind...these are great associations you have made.

    I love to see into the images too and make weird and wonderful connections.

    the blackwood seed pods are like used streamers that explode from party crackers.

    Happy days

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  19. You are a source of so much interesting lore about the natural world, Delwyn. And you frame your pictures so beautifully.

    The pink blossoms on the tea tree were particularly appealing. They reminded me of a tree that grows in Texas. I think it is called Mimosa?

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  20. Hello Bee
    How are you on old Blighty?

    I am getting so much enjoyment from taking these photos. I have always loved taking snaps but now want to take it a step further - perhaps invest in a REAL camera!
    But thanks for the encouraging comments. I appreciate them.

    I'll google mimosa to have a look - I think we have it too.

    There are a lot of flowers with this bottlebrush appearance - one whole family, the callistemon, is called the bottlebrush. I am gathering different coloured ones as I walk until I get a collection to post.


    Happy days

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  21. The folds back plant exposing the glossy black seed is the one I heart here.
    Priceless!!!!

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  22. Hi Yoon see

    that crinkly black wattle demonstrates nature's wonder to me...

    Happy days

    ReplyDelete

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