It’s that time of the year again … and the wildflowers around the place look set to be more spectacular than ever this season.
For those of you lucky enough to be in Western Australia now, the word is that a combination of weather events has meant bright bursts of yellow and pink are adding a new dimension to the wildflower watching experiences.
Experts say the yellow pom-poms and pink everlastings are thriving after heavy winter rain on the back of a dry winter last year.
Mullewa Community Resource Centre co-ordinator Elsie Park said the crowd favourite the wreath flower would also be blooming within a week.
“Wildflowers really only need that rain to start them and they don’t need a lot of rain to keep them going,” she told Perth Now. “As soon as it rains, up comes their seedlings and off they go. You can see the first crop of everlastings has already come up and underneath that there is another crop coming up so it’s going to be a very big season for everlastings.”
She said that the wildflowers, which had become a major drawcard for the Mid-West communities of Mingenew and Mullewa, would be blooming until the end of September.
“Every year there is something that shines,” she told Perth Now. “This year blue fairy orchids have done really well, they’re everywhere at the moment. Last year it was the spider orchids and milky orchids.”
The Coral Coast is also gearing up for a bumper wildflower season after heavy rain in some parts and bushfires in others. Bushfires in January will apparently promote the growth of orchids and other species.
Of course, many grey nomads will also find the area far more accessible due to the new Indian Ocean Drive, which means Lesueur National Park – with its estimated 900 species of wildflower – is now less than three hours drive from Perth.
The wildflower season in the west generally starts in July in the north and lasts until mid-December in the south. While weather variations makes every season different and changes the location and timing of the most spectacular displays, there are more than 12,000 species of wildflower in the state. Wow! According to the tourist authorities, pink boronias, red and green kangaroo paw, magenta paperbark blossom and orange-flowering banksias are top of the list for wildflower spotters.
