Flickr photo of the week: wattle tree

By AG Staff April 7, 2011
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A lone wattle tree high on a hill projects a solitary life, in this week’s AG Flickr shot.

A lone boxleaf watte tree (Acacia buxifolia) at Golden Jubilee Oval, north Wahroonga in Sydney, is the subject of this week’s AG Flickr photo of the week from Bob Trlin.

“Sadly, this tree is no more,” says Bob. “Perhaps it died and was removed by the Council. Wattles are not long lived.

What I liked about the shot was the solitary nature of the tree on a lonely windswept hilltop, sunlit but with a looming storm. It has a bonsai-like attractiveness. The sun brings out the golden glow of the blooms echoing back to its days of glory. The gnarled trunk gives evidence of a long hard life. I didn’t know at the time that within a few months, the tree would be gone.

I am a retired engineer from Wahroonga. Since retiring, I have taken up photography for my own pleasure. I live on the edge of Council Reserve adjoining the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The biodiversity of the park is astounding. Within a couple of kilometres of my house I have captured some 300 individual flowering species but I am sure there are many more further afield.

You can see what I have so far on my website. I have identified all the blooms with their scientific names, but I have made no attempt to document or to be in anyway botanically descriptive. My aim is simply to expose the beauty that lies at everyone’s feet if they only care to look.”

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This pic appeared in the Australian Geographic Flickr group. Share your own photography and it could be featured on Australian Geographic online!

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