EXHIBITION NEWS
The site of land we will plant tiny Tuarts raised by bushland regenerator Mark Kennedy, from seed of giant forest trees that predate first settlement, ancient trees hundreds of years old. great-great-great grandparent trees.  The west side of this pathway is healthy intact forest with understorey and summer greenery while this side of the pathway remnant trees are interspersed with empty space, barren, bare and dry.  Once the forest floor was covered with green.  Colonization brought stock animals that ate native undergrowth.  They left behind droppings containing seed that in turn introduced wintergrass which dries out in November and is highly flammable.  
Anyhoo ..... come and help us plant these Tuart seedlings.  Forest understorey, banksias, peppermints, and wildflowers will be planted.  Around 800 seedlings in all.  We'll make a historical botanical park with these time-travelling tiny Tuarts.  
DATE Saturday 29th April from 2pm. BLESSING OF THE TUARTS with Anglican Rev'd John Jones.  TUCKER for afters. WITH City of Bunbury.  SITE: Peppermint Walk, Maidens Reserve Ocean Drive. Let me know if you'd like to help?

Mark reports the seeds have sprouted.  They are at the tiny two-leaf monocotyledon stage.  Mark collected the seed specifically from ancient trees, far older than the colonial days of Western Australia's first settlement in Albany in 1826.  Why?  Just because I love the notion.   Mark was keen to take on this project, as he is a prolific bushland regenerator with deep knowledge of trees. (See Home page).  
Here's a postcard-sized painting of Tuart inflorescence worked last summer when the Tuarts, these forest giants had an unusually heavy flowering season.  This painting is now in a private collection.
During my exhibition you see, these little time-travellers will be ceremoniously planted.  Let me know if you'd like to help me plant them?  

Friday last at Capel River mouth at Peppermint Beach having some Sue fun with telescope.  Sanderlings had been sighted on the beach, but no luck this day - not a one.  Sanderlings migrate to Siberia to breed, and return each September for our summer, then leave again in April on their epic flight north. Small and pale, they feed on the seashore, darting after tiny creatures in the sand as the waves recede. We found 3 Red-capped Plovers instead, quiet little birds that nest on the beach.  Red-capped Plovers feature in my painting "When the water is silent", and you can see this in my online Gallery