Native Aussie

With sunrise earlier and the temperature warmer, it has become easier to jump out of bed in the mornings to take Onslow and Miss B for their daily visit to the off-leash park.

A couple of days ago, we were there just after dawn, a wonderful time to enjoy the plant and birdlife. This beautiful flower, which reminds me of lily of the valley, is an Australian native, Blueberry Ash, Elaeocarpus reticulatus. There are a number of them in the park and they are all a mass of flowers at the moment.

It is a small, very hardy tree; the specimens in the park are about 15 to 18 foot high. The tiny flowers are followed by beautiful, blue berries, which are very popular with the local birdlife.

It is easy to see why its common name is Fairy Petticoats.