This one is the bushy parrot-pea, and its flowers appear earlier than many of the others.

There are five local species of parrot-peas. The bushy parrot-pea is typical of most, having thin short leaves and flowers that are wider than they are deep. Very few of the numerous other similar plants - such as the bush-peas and the bitter-peas - have these wide flowers.

The wide yellow flowers resemble wings, with red or orange in between. Botanists recognise this double winged back part of the flower as one of five petals.

Bushy parrot-pea is found in forests around Creswick, Buninyong and Durham Lead, Porcupine Ridge, Clunes and probably other places.

It also occurs in the Lerderderg area, where the plants are pricklier.

It grows as an upright shrub, up to about a metre tall. Its very narrow leaves vary in length.

Rather confusingly, another common parrot-pea has flowers that are rounder in shape, rather than the wide "winged" shape of those pictured. However, it has the small, thin, almost stemless leaves typical of the group. This is the heathy parrot-pea or grey parrot-pea. Grey is not a useful word in identifying it, so heathy parrot-pea is a slightly better name.

Botanically, the group belong to the Dillwynia genus. The bushy parrot-pea is Dillwynia ramosissima.

The common name no doubt comes from its brightly-coloured flowers.

All the parrot-peas are showy and attractive when flowering, but they are hardly noticed when their flowers have finished.

Spring wildflowers were very evident a week ago in the Creswick forest, where the bushy parrot-pea was flowering with common beard-heath, pink-bells, leopard-orchid, billy-buttons, pink fingers, yam daisy, ploughshare wattle and more.

A report of a spiny-cheeked honeyeater at Rokewood is a first for that area.

This bird is a rare visitor anywhere in the Ballarat area. One was found in the Mt Mercer - Grenville area in winter, but this species is not seen in the district every year.

It is a large honeyeater, almost the size of a red wattlebird. It has a pleasant gurgling voice, which in this case was the first indication of its presence at Rokewood.

This bird may have moved up from the near-coastal areas of the Geelong district, where a small population exists. It has sometimes been seen at Lethbridge and Gheringhap.

What sort of rice-flower is this? It was found near St George's Lake, near Creswick.

J.P., Ballarat North.

This is the slender rice-flower.

Compared to the common rice-flower, it is taller, and it has drooping flowers - two important distinguishing features.

Unlike the common rice-flower, this one often grows more than 30cm tall.

Also, its flowers tend to be more cream-coloured, rather than white.

Slender rice-flower is widespread in the Ballarat district, but it is less numerous than the common rice-flower.

The leaves of both are very similar, although those of the slender rice-flower are narrower and slightly longer.

We are watching a pair of peewees sitting on their nest. How long do they sit for?

H.I., Sebastopol.

The incubation period of the peewee or magpie-lark is 18 - 19 days, and the chicks remain in the nest for a further 17 - 18 days.

Questions and photos are welcome.

Send to Roger Thomas at The Courier, PO Box 21, Ballarat, 3353, or email to rthomas@vic.australis.com.au