Thursday 27 September 2018

Our time in Menindee for 2018 has come and gone

The Darling River (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2018)


Outback New South Wales has had no decent rain for two years, and the country is suffering. There are few species out, and we were unable to find any of the 39 plants still left on our list. So, no paintings of new plants.


At Lake Pamamaroo (Photo Copyright: Anne Lawson, 2018)
We have been asked by the Herbarium to recollect species. They are interested in having a comprehensive collection of plants from the same location, collected at the same time, but in different conditions. We found some to recollect.

The Darling Pea is out along the Darling River banks flowering and growing to about 1m, although not as high as our first year in 2010. The black blue bushes are all grey …. except for the odd one being an intense almost viridian green blue, plenty of young fruits are their usual bright lime green. The Bracyscome multifida and the little pink Convolvulos are happily flowering, the Centipeda is en-masse at the receding lake. And the senna bushes are everywhere.
The Centipeda did need some rehydration in the sink before it could be pressed for the Herbarium!

While there was not the usual hum of collecting and painting in Menindee's Civic Hall during the week, we did keep busy,  recollecting what we could find, working on unfinished paintings and creating a field guide for the plants left to be found. 


Our important reference book, with labels of the plants we are still to find
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2018)
The plants here have evolved in this harsh environment, and have developed strategies that help them survive in the long term. When the rains finally come many of our little treasures will emerge.
Seeds waiting for the rain. (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2018)