One of my favorite routes took me over a small hill and coming down on the other side, there was a wonderful outlook which was so pretty.
Laying curled up in the dry leaves at the bottom of a tree was this red bug. It looks like a juvenile Cotton Stainer to me. (Family
Pyrrhocoridae) They look a lot like stinkbugs and are medium sized 5-20mm. I see its wings are just starting to develop.
On the opposite side of the outlook is this wonderful little man-made dam.
The owners of the property have built this lovely BBQ and entertainment area to one side of it. How I would LOVE to be able to stay there!! I was told that not so long ago, they used it for a wedding and I could not imagine a more beautiful spot.
Quiet reflections.....
The trees with the white on them in the first picture are Knob-thorns (Acacia nigrescens) and are one of the first to show signs of spring in the air. These white spikes are their flowers and grow up to 10cm (4”) in length.
As they get older, the spikes begin to disintegrate and you can see the tiny seeds ready to float off in the wind.
These trees are very large and have the most awful thorns on them!! Needless to say, I am very careful when I am in the bush!! LOL!! They are regarded as an indication of good ranching country being fire and drought resistant.
The bark is very flaky with the sapwood yellow and the heartwood dark brown. I have seen the most wonderful things made out of these trees and the combination of colors is fantastic. The wood is close-grained and not easy to work with though.
Laying curled up in the dry leaves at the bottom of a tree was this red bug. It looks like a juvenile Cotton Stainer to me. (Family Pyrrhocoridae) They look a lot like stinkbugs and are medium sized 5-20mm. I see its wings are just starting to develop.
The owners of the property have built this lovely BBQ and entertainment area to one side of it. How I would LOVE to be able to stay there!! I was told that not so long ago, they used it for a wedding and I could not imagine a more beautiful spot.
Quiet reflections.....
The trees with the white on them in the first picture are Knob-thorns (Acacia nigrescens) and are one of the first to show signs of spring in the air. These white spikes are their flowers and grow up to 10cm (4”) in length.
As they get older, the spikes begin to disintegrate and you can see the tiny seeds ready to float off in the wind.
These trees are very large and have the most awful thorns on them!! Needless to say, I am very careful when I am in the bush!! LOL!! They are regarded as an indication of good ranching country being fire and drought resistant.
The bark is very flaky with the sapwood yellow and the heartwood dark brown. I have seen the most wonderful things made out of these trees and the combination of colors is fantastic. The wood is close-grained and not easy to work with though.
