Stenocarpus sinuatus

 

This is such a good picture I couldn't resist showing it off. I saw one of these flowering in Kings Cross a couple of days ago. It was being used as a street tree and was as tall as the 3 storey block of flats it was sheltering. 

Red Justicia (Odontonema strictum) looks really beautiful at the moment. It is an old fashioned shrub which is very tough so it is thriving in the present drought. I am really impressed with it. I've grown lots of new ones from cuttings and so I have quite a few. The honey eaters don't seem to be paying them much attention though which I find quite surprising

 

Walking through the bush today we came across this very delicate little native orchid. Just a stalk popped up through the grass and these lovely tiny flowers massed along the stem. I have no idea what it is but its certainly pretty. 

We've had some rain at last so fungi are popping up all over the place. These are rather beautiful examples of Coprinus niveus (I think). I consulted my A Field Guide Companion to Australian Fungi by Bruce Fuhrer and that was the closest match.

Our second driest February since 1991 but I only started keeping records in 1990. It's quite an interesting hobby keeping check on the weather, made more so when you rely totally on the rain for yourself and your garden, as we do.