Group's wildflower walk proves popular | Nature Notes

"Wildflower walkers in their hundreds took the walk around the wildflower trail" in the week it was open, according to a report by the Friends of the Canadian Corridor group, who organised the walk with the Field Naturalists Club of Ballarat.

Among the showiest of the flowering plants was heath tea-tree (often also known as silky tea-tree), with clusters of bright white flowers on upright snaking stems.

This was one of the taller plants on display, with most others being smaller.

Although often known as silky tea-tree, the reason for the silky part of the name is not clear to most people. Other tea-trees also have "silky" hairs beneath the flowers and on young growth. The alternative name "heath tea-tree" reflects its often "heathy" habitat, where undergrowth is thick, and small-leaved plants are numerous.

One of Woowookarung's special plants is the penny-leaf flat-pea, a spreading ground-cover plant with round leaves. There were several plants in the area covered by the walk, with a few yellow and red flowers seen.

Its occurrence here is significant because it is a rare plant, not found in many other spots in Victoria.

Common in places was trailing goodenia, with yellow five-petalled flowers on short stalks above its trailing stems. Also in view was the snake wattle, a prostrate, fine-leaved wattle growing along the ground.

In other years, the wildflower walk at Woowookarung has taken the form of a guided tour, usually with two or three groups heading off with a leader at a pre-determined time. Leaving of appropriate signs for a week after last year's event proved popular, so this year the signed walk was organised again - in a different place - and was well-patronised.

Not far from Woowookarung is Sparrow Ground, a patch of bushland and grassland in the vicinity of Richards and Spencer Streets at Canadian. Twenty or more species of wildflowers can be seen here at present.

A common myna - or Indian myna - was seen on at least two days at Lake Wendouree last month.

This species is gradually increasing in the Ballarat district but has yet to take up permanent residence anywhere in the suburban area.

While its regular occurrence at Lake Wendouree appears inevitable, we hope that it happens later rather than sooner.

This photo was taken in the North Gardens Wetlands. It's an unusual colour for a brushtail possum. What do you think?

J.C., Buninyong.

Your rusty-coloured possum is an unusual and unexpected colour, in the same way as are paler or white coloured birds or mammals. It seems to be totally lacking grey, while having an abundance of rufous. This is probably due to a genetic abnormality.

There is often a yellow or orange tinge on the chest of our local possums, but your photo shows a completely rufous or rusty-coloured animal.

The common brushtail possum is usually grey above, as you would be aware. Other colours are known in different parts of its range - including a rufous short-haired one in eastern Queensland rainforests - but this rufous colour is certainly unusual in the Ballarat district.