Toowoomba – bushboys world

What a mixed bag September was. There were warm days, days of lots of rain, some nights were cool, cool enough to light the fire. I decided to put flannie sheets on again when I changed the sheets. This proved to be a good choice as although the days were in the low to mid 20’s, the nights went down to single figures or low teens.

I am sorry that there is a lot of photos this month but the start of Spring here is brim full of life. I guess you’ll need a song to get through this long post. How about this one? It’s a new one for me.

Where to start this massive post? I guess with some of the foggy mornings. Some mornings the fog just seemed to rise up from the gullies and engulf the bush.

The many spider webs throughout the garden really stood out with a hint of moisture hanging on the threads

Some of the garden spiders have really amazing colours

Another tiny spiders web but this time I found a horizontal web shaped like a dish

At first I thought this was a bee buzzing around me. Then I thought fly with a bit of a stinger. I have tried to find out but sorry can’t tell you what it could be

This is a Common Leaf Walker I think. Sort of has a wasp like body but no stinger.

I found a Jewel Beetle at my daughters place which is near mine.

The Sweet Orange Pittosporum flowered so well this month sending drifts of sweet scents into the house. The Stingless Native Bees also loved the blossoms.

A cute view of a bees bum as it heads into a Bottlebrush to get more pollen. Look at how full the pollen sacs on its legs are already.

The Grevilleas around the garden burst into bloom as well. I have lost the tags to a lot of the Grevillea bushes so I cannot tell you this one. It was a rescue plant that has done quite well.

Firesticks Grevillea is a favourite with a lot of the smaller honeyeaters.

The afternoon sun really lit up this Grevillea, another rescue plant. Rescue plants from nurseries are ones that look like they are on their last legs and are at almost giveaway prices. I can manage to get nearly all them back to life and flourish. There has been a couple of exceptions but two or three dollars for a twenty dollar plant isn’t much if they don’t make it.

The Coconut Ice Grevillea flourished as well

I had almost forgotten about the Star Jasmin in a garden. This year it has reappeared trailing over an old Lemon Bush giving a lovely scent in that part of the garden and occasionally wafts into the sun room.

Another surprise plant in the garden. I was give some cutting of what was called a Giant Salvia. No idea of its real name. It really is a giant. The plant is over three metres with big sprays of flowers at the top.

The flowers are quite complex and beautiful.

The Gerberas I planted last year have popped up again.

I thought the Daisy bush was finished but it has come back covered in flowers

The new growth on many Australian shrubs and trees start of with a reddish hue

This mossy rock has been in the garden for years and now the moss has totally covered the rock

The succulents in my shade house are also flowering. It is lovely to be greeted with a burst of yellow

All of the Begonias are in flower. I have just included one.

I thought I had lost the Hares Foot Fern but it has come back to life.

On my place the native flowers have come to life as well. I think this is a Hairy Bush Pea. There are so many Pea plants that look quite similar.

I have always called this plant Egg and Bacon Plant which is a common name for so many same coloured flowers. My one has sharp points on the end of the leaves (you can just see) so it may be a Prickly Shaggy Pea but I am just outside of the known species zone. But prickly it is.

On my trip to Toowoomba to see my daughter for her birthday and to see the Festival of Flowers, along the highway there were some fabulous wattles flowering.

At one place I stopped at I found these little flowers in patches or purple scattered on the roadside

I posted a Sundew from my daughters place that was green. As the age they turn this lovely red colour

I went down to the Central Coast to my sisters funeral service at Avoca. While there on a walk I found this lovely Banksia flower.

September saw the Blue-faced Honeyeaters return for Summer to enjoy the Honey Gem Grevilleas

The Rainbow Lorikeets also like the Honey Gems

Near the end of the month the Spangled Drongos turned up as well

Eastern Spinebills are very acrobatic when getting a Bottlebrush snack

The Scarlet Honeyeaters like to feed on the red flowers of the Bottlebrush. This female Scarlet Honeyeater is making her selection

This male Scarlet Honeyeater contemplates his next flower as well

The resident Laughing Kookaburra is always on the lookout for a snack

A Sulpher-crested Cockatoo with a sunset shining through its wings at Avoca.

An Osprey was also cruising the shoreline at Avoca

On Alumy Creek near Grafton, I noticed there was some Black Swans when I drove past a while ago. One morning when I went to town I decided to see if they were still there. They were, around forty Black Swans, but also there was a large flock of Pacific Black Ducks.

As most of the Black Swans were on the far side of the river and behind some of the riverbank vegetation, I though just a photo of these two who happened to paddle past was a good photo

On the road from Toowoomba I stopped to get a few photos for Monday Portrait. Yes you’ll have to wait for those. As I approached the fence, there was a flurry of wings and a flock of small birds flew off in front of me. Luckily they only went a short way up the paddock. I managed to get one photo of these Plum-headed Finches, the first time I have seen them.

Looks like a Rainbow Bee Eater found a good snack

I love finding little Superb Fairy Wrens. A wonderful splash of blue among the foliage

“OK what are you doing. I’m just checking in.”

Enjoying the sunshine at my place this Bearded Dragon soaked up the sun on the warm gravel driveway

Another permanent resident is a Brown Bandicoot. I know they are around the garden and yard is the number of holes dug in the soil as they look for grubs or worms. As it was raining I spoilt the King Parrots and other birds with a small dish of seed on the verandah. The Bandicoot discovered this dish as well and cleaned up what was left in the evenings. Look at those digging claws!

I just loved this seascape again from Avoca

Remember that small purple flower above a few photos ago. Well this is the reason I stopped as. I just love rust as well as old vehicles. I hope someone had some great holidays in this bus

Ages ago I posted a photo of this bridge. As it was on the way to Toowoomba, I just had to see if it was still standing. It is, but only just.

Another bridge. This one is in the Japanese Gardens in Toowoomba. I waited for ages to get a photo when no one was on the bridge. There were a lot of people in the gardens that day.

It is not often I get a photo of my favourite place, the Raspberry Lookout, in the afternoon. The rains came two days later in the early morning and lasted for three days

I hope you enjoyed a long read through my September and thanks for getting to the end. Did you have a favourite photo?

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently, though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.

For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.

But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.

There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.