TODAY'S FLOWERS - Desert Delights

Although it is autumn here, the arid lands still had flowers to be found due to the wonderfully rain rich season they have enjoyed. All these I bagged on an afternoon walk on the sparsely vegetated rocky hills at Wirrealpa Station in the North Flinders Ranges of South Australia.

A rugged little Cassia bush

 and the tiniest little Morning Glory vineI have ever seen, 

winding it's way across a Blue Bush. The flowers were a quarter of an inch across!

A different and larger Cassia bush complete with glowing, almost

golden seed pods, growing near a creek bed.

A feast for the eyes and the weary walker, these little glowing saltbush berries

are wonderful to snack on. This particular variety was translucent and very sweet

whereas in other places the berries are deep red, tarter and sometimes quite salty.

They vary from one bush to another depending on the mineral content of the soil.

If you enlarge the picture you will also see minute, pale yellow flowers on the

branch above the berries. The berries themselves are just short of a quarter of an

inch across but drop into your hand at a touch.

Just see how complex these miniature saltbush flowers are!

It just goes to show that wonders big and small can be found anywhere

if we but look.