Rare scented bush pea is a pioneer plant

The one pictured today is rare. This is the scented bush pea, named not for the fragrance of its flowers, but for the smell of its leaves.

It is an under-storey shrub, not much more than chest-high. Its branches often arch gracefully.

In the non-flowering season, it could be mistaken for the hedge wattle because of its dense green foliage and spreading habit. Its leaves are short, thin, glossy and crowded.

The plants have a faint smell, more readily noticed when the leaves are crushed.

It grows at Porcupine Ridge and Dunach, with the Dunach plants flowering a few weeks earlier.

It seems to prefer places where soil disturbance has occurred, such as roadsides.

Like many native plants in the pea family, it is a pioneer plant, often growing prolifically after grading and fire.

While many pioneer plants are short-lived, the scented bush pea appears to live for several years - often more than 10.

Botanically, the scented bush-pea is Pultenaea graveolens. Its official rarity status is vulnerable. As well as at our couple of local sites, it is also found in the Brisbane Ranges, the Grampians, and into South Australia.

Its flowers appear slightly later than many others in the "egg and bacon" group of spring-flowering shrubs.

It was just past its peak at Dunach Nature Conservation Reserve last weekend, when this photo was taken.

A small group of bird observers found more than 40 species of birds recently in the Linton and Devil's Kitchen area.

Among the birds found were grey goshawk, black kite, mistletoebird, blue-winged parrot, little corella, peregrine falcon and little eagle.

Five migratory species were seen: sacred kingfisher, dusky woodswallow, rufous whistler and two bronze cuckoos.

Migrants yet to be found in the district this season include white-winged triller, painted honeyeater, rufous songlark, rufous fantail, satin flycatcher and brush cuckoo. Most will appear soon.

Rainbow bee-eater and black-eared cuckoo have this month returned to the Clunes district.

Generally speaking, numbers of migratory birds are lower this year, perhaps because of good condition in inland Australia.

At Lake Wendouree, a flock of 35 cattle egrets was seen last weekend.

Most were in full breeding plumage, with orange head and neck.

A pair of plumed whistling-ducks were seen at Learmonth a couple of weeks ago, the first time in that district.

More than 40 Latham's snipe have been seen in shallows at Lake Learmonth this month.

Can I please get an ID on this butterfly?

S.A., Creswick.

This is the caper white, a migrant that's often common here in October and November.

Numbers vary from year to year.

The black edging to the wings helps to identify it, although a similar pattern is also present in a few other butterflies.

There are usually yellow or arrange marks under the wings. It is slightly larger than the cabbage white butterfly.

As far as the Ballarat district is concerned, it mostly moves through from east to west, rather than remaining here and flitting around gardens and bushland.

It is harmless in our gardens, and it does not breed here.

Our specimens are thought to originate in Queensland and central Australia.

Its caterpillars feed on native orange and wild caper plants.