Western Australia wildflower trails

What it is

There are two kinds of display. In the drier inland north, after good winter rain, pink, white and yellow everlastings cover the red earth in carpets. Further south, in sandy heath and woodland, the interest is in variety: banksias, kangaroo paws, feather flowers, native orchids and many pea flowers, a different mix at every stop. Near Mullewa and Pindar grows the wreath flower, a low plant that forms a ring of blooms on bare gravel.

Why here

The region has been isolated for a very long time by ocean on one side and desert on the other. Its soils are ancient, sandy and extremely poor in nutrients. Plants have adapted to that poverty in thousands of small ways, and species often occupy tiny ranges. Many are pollinated by birds and small mammals as well as insects. Much of the original bush was cleared for wheat, which makes the remaining reserves and road verges all the more valuable.

How the season runs

Flowering begins in the Pilbara and the far north around June and July. The Mid West, around Geraldton, Kalbarri, Mullewa and Coalseam, peaks in August and September. Perth and its hills are best in September, when Kings Park holds its wildflower festival. The south coast, including the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River, carries on through October and November. Visitor centres in the wheatbelt towns hand out trail maps and weekly reports.

How to take part

1. Start at Kings Park in Perth to learn the main plant families before you head out.
2. Choose a region to match your dates: north in winter, south in late spring.
3. Ask at each town's visitor centre what is flowering and where.
4. Walk slowly and look down. Many of the orchids are smaller than a thumb.

Good manners

• Picking wildflowers is illegal without a licence, on public land and on road verges.
• Clean soil from your boots and tyres between sites. A root disease called dieback spreads in mud.
• Stay on tracks, and watch for snakes in warm weather.

The flowers

Red-and-green kangaroo pawThe red and green floral emblem of Western AustraliaBanksiaAustralian wildflowers with tall flower spikes and woody conesWreath LechenaultiaA low-growing Australian wildflower with yellow and red-pink blooms in a ring shapePink and white everlastingA small Australian wildflower with papery pink, white, or yellow bloomsFeatherflowerWoody Australian shrubs with feathery, colourful flowersSpider orchidsHairy-leaved ground orchids with intricate, insect-attracting flowers

Sources and further reading

• Wildflowers of Western Australia on Wikipedia