Everlastings on the South Coast
Day 13 Flowering today in Lowlands Reserve 6 November 2020
These dainty everlastings are flowering profusely in bare patches and at the edges of the 4WD tracks today. The flowers have a papery texture, like other everlasting wildflowers, but are among the smallest of the species.
We also get larger white everlasting paper daisies, which pop up in several small patches in Lowlands Reserve, looking slightly incongruous among all our other coastal heath vegetation. Most people associate everlastings with the blanket displays east and north of Perth marketed to tourists as iconic places to see WA wildflowers. Ours are better though, as they come with a variety of coastal species and brilliant sea views!
Once picked , the flowers are long lasting, but the flowers appear seasonally and are not on everlasting display in the Reserve.
The papery flowers are useful for body decoration. They are a good resource for adding longer lasting zing to corroboree costumes. Philip A Clarke (Australian Plants as Aboriginal Tools) and Peter Latz ((Bushfires and Bushtucker) both descibe how Warlpiri people and other Aboriginal groups gathered white paper daisies to crumble to make white headdresses for ceremony and for other artworks.
Noongar people also have a rich heritage of performance culture. Moore and Daisy Bates explain how “nyetti” or “yangee of shavings of “white coloured timber” were used by Noongar people to make white headdresses.
I’m not sure of species, but I’m suggesting Waitzia nitida or Rhodanthe citrina for the small yellow everlastings and Xerochrysum macranthum for the larger white paper daisies.
My fundraising for Bush Heritage #groundworkchallenge is going well . To join my team or donate go to https://www.groundworkchallenge.org.au/fundraisers/sheilamurray/2020?fbclid=IwAR2HbNn0YsCCc3tiSK-_lbF5xLsssaD8wjGHaUwVYrRqYxM-kdJkijoj2N0
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Lowlands Reserve is managed by the local community and City of Albany. Bush Heritage manage lots of other wonderful reserves
Lowlands Reserve is on Menang Boodja. I celebrate the strength, resilience and capacity of the Menang people of the Noongar nation who are the traditional owners of the land.
