Ceph. swamp update.

[picrophyll]

My good friend Richard arrived from the east and we decided to check out the Ceph swamps were doing now that the summer and hot days were here.
We set off from home, leaving 38C heading for the south coast to a lovely cool 33C.
I don't know if any of you have entered a steam sauna as such, but that was what the swamps were like. No air and high humidity along with a few hundred very friendly flies makes for a wonderful time.
The first site was the D. binata site and we were in for a shock. It was about 2.5 years since we were last there and there had been a fire through 12 - 18 months before. The Cephs were beautiful, the D. binata in full growth, the D. hamiltonii flowering and the area was scattered with U. pauliniae.
The site with Richard checking the Cephs March 2005.


This is what we found 2.5 years later


Richard where are you ?
Over here.


Phill, you there?


Now I don't know about most of you, but I for one hate trying to move around in this sort of swamp where you can't see your feet, or the tiger snakes or wild pigs.
What's worse we never found the Cephs, but then again we didn't stay in the swamp all that long.

To be continued

[mannyherrera]

You rarely ever see pics of cephs in the wild. Please keep us posted.

[picrophyll]

We headed east to check out one of the most spectacular sites of Cephs there is.
I have posted photos of this place before with Barry Rice under the Australian header.
The plants were at their best and a sight to see.
We pushed on to three other sites that were starting to recover after being severely droughted from a long dry summer. Most of the above ground leaves and pitchers had died but the new pitchers and leaves were very healthy.



The area was still open and not grown over yet.



The next day we checked out a site that I remember from 25 or so years ago and haven't seen since. After a bit if searching we found some beautiful Ceph plants in an amzing situation. Most of the plants were partially or nearly covered by the thick grasses and were stunningly coloured even in the low light situation. The soil was different in that it was a very compact moss not unlike sphagnum but packed full of other plant roots..




Cheers
Phill

[Brian Barnes]

Wow! Nice shots of the cephs.....Great color!

[locko]

Thanks for sharing the photos. I love cephs.

[wadave]

It appears that Phill is a long lost decendent of the Wherethefar Karewe tribe that inhabit the long grass of the great south west.

Cheers for the photos mate.

[vraev]

its such a wonderful species. its pictures never bore me. Infact everyone makes me feel even more interested in it. thanks soo much for the pics.