The plant Kangaroo Paw is a native plant that you find growing in the Australian Bush in Western Australia. The flower reflects a kangaroo paw hence it's name. A collection of colours of Kangaroo Paws [ here ] plus photos of the plant close up. The colours are more intense in cooler climates.
These photos were taken by me not far from Ravensthorpe in Western Australia several years ago. I'm really enjoying looking at my past travels of Australia in our caravan and finding photos to share.
The Kangaroo Paws like to grow in sandy soil slightly acidic so the air can get to the roots.
Salt bush growing in a similar area and the Indigenous Australians used saltbush as a versatile food, natural seasoning, and traditional medicine. They roasted and ground the seeds to mix into damper (bush bread), used the salty leaves to wrap and flavour meats, and applied crushed leaves as a poultice to soothe burns, wounds, and skin sores.
Many farm animals, native wildlife, and insects eat saltbush which serves as a tough, salty food source in dry area - including sheep.
From Launceston to Ravensthorpe is 3,550 km, 44 hours and 9 minutes (2,205 miles)
Two maps as it gives better idea of the distance. You can see the marks on the map.
Hello Margaret,
ReplyDeleteThe kangaroo paw and the saltbush are beautiful plants.
I don't think the species occur in Europe.
I wish you a very nice weekend.
All the best, Irma
Thank you Irma. I believe that in the EK in certain areas the Kangaroo Paw will grow. You have a nice weekend too.
DeleteThe plant is wonderful, Margaret, I haven't seen it yet... I like all the photos but the first one is the prettiest!
ReplyDeleteThanks you. There were not that many in bloom when we were there, rather sparse in the bush.
DeleteMargaret, Indigenous peoples are populations that have lived for millennia with nature, they are part of it, depended on it, and still depend on it. You show us this with what you tell about that salty shrub. Surely the meat from those sheep tastes really good nowadays.
ReplyDeleteYes the Indigenous people know to tend their land and I guess in some areas of Australia they may still practice some their cultures especially way up north. Yes, the meat from the sheep who have eaten/feed on the saltbush tastes much improved as we have eaten it when up north.
DeleteThe kangaroo paw and the salt bush looks beautiful. I have never seen them before.
ReplyDeleteAll the colours you can get of the kangaroo paw plant is amazing, we used to grow some here at home once. Salt bush is not grown in home gardens, it's grown in the bush in the right areas.
DeleteHi Margaret. I want some of those Kangaroo paws plants. They are gorgeous. It has always been my dream to visit this land. You are so fortunate to live there.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that many of us dream of visiting other countries and sometimes we don't get there for so many reason. I love living here in Australia that land of my birth and have travelled it extensively with my husband over the years.
DeleteInteresting plants and landscapes! It looks completely different than here.
ReplyDeleteIt looks different from where I live too, Anne, very different. That is a beauty of Australia, and I guess other countries they are different to what we all know in our own backyards.
DeleteGracias, amiga Margaret, por lo mucho que siempre nos enseñas sobre tu país, del que no recuerdo si te lo he comentado antes, pero Australia siempre me ha fascinado tanto por su fauna y flora, pero sobre todo por sus tradiciones.
ReplyDeleteNunca oí hablar de esas plantas tan bonitas como beneficiosas.
Un cordial saludo.
Thank you. Our native plants are very different and to see flowers bloom in the weirdest driest places is amazing, and especially in one area after a good rain where there was nothing then all of a sudden there are flowers blooming.
DeleteI especially enjoyed this post because I have a Kangaroo Paw myself, although mine has to be content with life as a pot plant in Germany. Seeing your photographs of these beautiful plants growing naturally in the Western Australian bush is quite special for me. I am now hoping that I can get mine safely through our German winter indoors! I also enjoyed learning about the saltbush and its many traditional uses. Looking back through old travel photographs is such a lovely way of travelling once again, and your pictures give us the chance to come along with you.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I remembered someone had a kangaroo paw growing, but alas I couldn't remember who it was, now I will remember so thank you for reminding me. Hopefully yours will get through the winter there as you have 'green thumbs' 😉. Yes it's good looking back at photos for many of them I never shared before in earlier posts.
DeleteInteressant diese Salzbusch eine sehr nützliche Pflanze.
ReplyDeleteGruß
Noke
Yes salt bush is, Noke. It only grows in certain areas and look good amid the bush with a few trees and red soil, which is often called 'bull dust' here.
DeleteHello Margaret,
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. Wonderful shot 3 and 4.
A wonderful area with a nice nature.
About your answer on your previous post. I have the shots of the cruiseships on my blog.
https://marcoalpha.blogspot.com/search/label/Cruise%20Schepen
Many greetings,
Marco
Thank you Marco and thanks for the link which I have visited and my what large ships, especially the first one. Beautiful photos as well..
DeleteLa zampa di canguro è davvero una pianta inaspettata con dei fiori dai colori accesi
ReplyDeleteYes, and they seem to stand out in the sparse bush there, you really can't miss them as the colour gets you eye when walking or passing.
DeleteI am sure it is great fun to relive your travels through the medium of your photographs. You saw a lot of the continent.
ReplyDeleteYou are right David, and not all of my photos I've shown on my posts in the past. I often look at photos I've taken then I research to see if I've shown them before, usually not but maybe different ones long ago.
DeleteYes we have seen and been to many places in Australia but haven't visited to the tip of it. We were headed there one year but my mother was ill and I had to fly home with B driving the caravan to the ferry back then by himself.
Lovely photos, Margaret. The area is not a place I ever seen before. It looks like a great place to explore. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, and I've never seen any photos of that particular area myself over the years by others.
DeleteDear Margaret, your photos are beautiful and captivating! Thank you so much for sharing, dear friend. I also want to thank you for your visits and kind comments on my blog and I really appreciate your presence and friendship. I also love your blog background.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda on all accounts 😊
DeleteLindas fotos. Bello lugar. Te mando un beso.
ReplyDeleteThank you and same to you too.
DeleteTake care in that salt bush country - ferocious wild pigs with hug tusks can be lurking
ReplyDeleteand they take NO prisoners. I recall when a youngster with a mate on a muster
riding into scrub like shown to get a cow and her 5 months old bull calf back into the mob. A tucked wild boar came racing out of the scrub and ripped Tommy's beloved
pony's guts out.
Thankfully Tommy's father was not far away and heard the screams - he shot the
boar and then Tommy and I were given a kick up the arse for breaking a rule.
Keep out of Salt bush / scrub country. Attractive flowers DON'T mean safety in Australia's outback!!!!!
Cheers
Colin
PS: Lovely weather here and getting warmer.
My pair of Ducks and I are on reasonably good times - ha ha.
I'm glad you are getting along with your ducks once again, makes life a little easier to have good friends, Colin. Nice weather here of late, warming up till it gets cool again I guess.
DeleteAm aware of wild bores, snakes and so on in the bush. I remember we had 3 piglets running down the highway on our way to Longreach or Winton can't remember, we were surprised to seem as it was the first time we had seen wild ones.
Your third paragraph tells me why I was not successful with growing kangaroo paw. Pretty obvious really.
ReplyDeleteAir to the roots and sand as seen in photo helps grow the plant. Never mind, we used to have a few growing in our garden at one time but pulled them out after several years when re doing the garden. We have dirt and B would have put something else in the soil from memory to grow them.
DeleteI love the Kangaroo Paw plants. WE have some growing in the gardens here. I had some beauties growing in my garden when we lived at Daisy Hill. That's interesting facts about the salt bush. A handy plant.
ReplyDeleteThey are nice plant and different Diane. I remember you had photos of your garden on your blog a long time ago of your Daisy Hill property.
DeleteYes, very interesting about salt bush.
Native flowers and bushes clearly had to be very hardy to survive. Not only was the rain unreliable but hungry animals ate whatever they could find.
ReplyDeleteThat is correct Hels, the animals will eat what they find and become accustomed to that type of food.
DeleteMargaret, I always enjoy how your posts mix photos with history and culture. The Kangaroo Paw is gorgeous, and the saltbush traditions you described were fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that Veronica. I'm not indigenous but I like to find out what the indigenous people lived on, did in the area or whatever, history and so on.
DeleteI have never even heard of those plants..they look really pretty and sound fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThank you Angie, they are a nice plant.
DeleteSlightly acidic sandy soil, no wonder none of mine survived. My patch is heavy soil, mostly clay and filled with tree roots and not enough sun.
ReplyDeleteOh R, that would account as to why they didn't grow. Have to lighten that clay and go for more sun.
DeleteMagnifico trabajo el que nos brindas, amiga
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteYou have beautiful plants growing there, including the saltbush—a magnificent landscape! Thanks for the information; I love seeing your home region like this.
ReplyDeletehugs Elke
You are most welcome Elkes.
DeleteDebe ser una planta autóctona , propia del lugar.
ReplyDeleteSaludos.
Myslím, že o Austrálii toho vím dost, ale o klokaní tlapce jsem neslyšela. Do Evropy by musela být přivezena, tak jako dost druhů rostlin i stromů bylo přivezeno do Austrálie. Sůl je potřebná i pro zvířata a třeba u nás také chovatelé ovcí kupují pro ovce speciální sůl.
ReplyDeleteTasmánie má určitě zcela jiné podnebí než oblasti, kde roste klokaní tlapka. ☺
Beautiful landscapes. The resilience of those plants...
ReplyDeleteWell, this is strange because I know I commented on this post both on the plant and the landscape and the fact you kindly added two maps.
ReplyDeleteDid my comment go in to spam for some reason?
Blogger does have glitches from time to time.
It's the weekend, I wish you a good one.
All the best Jan