Wild/Flower Women

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Wild/Flower Women

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This page celebrates our native wildflowers, 'wild/flower women', nature, art and creativity

04/10/2026

This weekend it was great to be able to hear & see a good news story about the ‘saving’ of previous Wallum habitat through translocation! Prof Alison Shapcott from UniSC shared the story of this project she has championed for over 20 years, when the plan was conceived to move 12.5 ha of Wallum habitat onto 15 ha of ex farm land the uni was being built on. It took years of planning & wrangling involving the developers (Stockland), Maroochy then SC Council & the Uni, but it was realised and now 18 years later is deemed a great success! There is a planned fire regime being enacted & there are lots of lovely things growing here I’ve not seen elsewhere on the Sunshine Coast. As part of the Wallum Study Group (Australian Native Plant Society) we did some plant IDing to add to this year’s survey. There are ongoing research projects occurring & students now keen to establish a bushcare type group. Congratulations to Alison & all those who conceived and realised this project. Thanks Hilary Pearl for facilitating this opportunity- Incredible to think it could have all been lost!

Native Plants Queensland Hilary Robin Pearl

Boronia rivularis (usually found around Cooloola & Wide Bay but heaps here) 🩷

Tetratheca thymifolia - some quite tall - elsewhere found on coast in the Noosa & Marcus high dunes

Platysace lanceolata - mixed in near tall growing Rice Flower - first time I’ve seen this one on the coast

Chloanthes parviflora - at first I thought it was an Eremophila or mint bush but no - first time I’ve seen this one too

Some sketches - a way or recording & to help me remember

Some of the tiny whites - one of the bearded heaths that had a name change - Styphelia leptospermoides (ex Leucopogon)

A Leptospermum that kept its name - polygalifolium

The Sandfly Zieria (smithii)

A tiny, fine Mitrasacme (alsinoides we think). I also have seen this on Russell Is.

Some sketches of a few of the whites

Some of the tallest Oxylobium robustum (Shaggu wallum pea) also one I haven’t seen do much of on the coast

Lovely looking seed pods - there are plans to propogate some species to fill in spots that are a bit weedy,

01/10/2026

Pop it in your diary now!!
Join us for the opening of the ‘Design Wilds’ exhibition featuring ‘Flower Shelter’ by Fiona Harding (Spirit You).

Official opening: Friday 20 November, 5.00 - 7.00 pm
Arts & Ecology Centre, Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Tanawha.

(The exhibition is on show Wed 18 Nov - Sunday 6 Dec.)

‘Design Wilds’ celebrates the wildflowers and plants of our wild places with a suite of pattern designs and works created by over 20 different artist/designers from across the region and beyond.

The exhibition also features the first iteration of Fiona Harding’s ‘Flower Shelter’, an immersive installation comprised of over 5000 flowers, all hand-crafted from reclaimed fabrics.

Bookings via Wild/flower Women Projects on Eventbrite

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2002686201339?aff=oddtdtcreator

Free but donation towards food and drinks would be much appreciated.

Design Wilds artists include:
Amelia Tilly, Anna Hanssen, Bronwyn Davies, Catherine Haigh, Cecile Bell, Cynthia Lee, Dimitie Smith, Donna Condon, Grace Smith, Helen Evans, Hope O’Chin, Jen Conde, Karina Sharpe, Leighanne McHugh, Lisa Chandler, Marni Stuart, Rosie Lloyd-Giblett, Samantha Taylor, Sarah Smith, Sue Connor, Sue Davis & Tigerlily Boyce.

Flower Shelter by Fiona Harding ✨ Fiona Harding - Contemporary Artist
Lamps by Emma Thorp emma thorp
Curated by Sue Davis, Lisa Chandler & Marni : Designer and Lecturer

This project is presented by The Wildflowering Collective Inc. It was made possible by funding from the Grants Program Sunshine Coast Council and the Design Lab program was supported by UniSC.

The Wildflowering CollectiThe Wildflowering CollectiveSMaroochy Botanic GardenniSunshine Coast Councile Coast

23/09/2026

A morning of floral obsessions - the divine, abundant drama of Hibiscus splendens & some filming with the beautiful soul who is Fiona Harding (Spirityou) - sharing some thoughts about her ‘Flower Shelter’ work - much more to come (make sure you follow Fee on ✨ Fiona Harding - Contemporary Artist )- all to be revealed in November 🙏🏽🌸🩷

P.S. and yes my hat features drawings of same flower, drawn a few years ago, then used in a surface design pattern I had printed on fabric by Next State & sewn by Shazhats 😘

The Wildflowering Collective

21/09/2026

Something a little bit different - human view vs beetle view! Yesterday during our Australian Walking Artists Inc meet up Amy Tsilemanis offered up some provocations from her Bower Bird Project The Bowerbird Walks - to walk and create collages in response. The prompt I used was:
# Life’s upsie downsies. Being a human/being a beatle. Move so that you see things from a different perspective or speed …

I walked on our property, searching for and as if a beetle, I became very aware of all the birds in our environment, as a human I celebrate their presence, as a beetle I was far more wary, as I headed for the leaf little a saw the flash of a snake slither, hopefully a tree snake, but I paused to consider my safe spaces, I looked under leaves, I turned over branches (carefully), I looked in seed cones & a snail shell - no beetles to be found, but the shift in perspective has certainly prompted some reflections 🙏🏽💚🪲…

P.S. I went back to look again today - still no beetles! I will post a video later :)

19/09/2026

A perfect morning for our Walk & Draw today, beautiful to see the transition from the yellow peas to more of the white flowering blooms. Fabulous group to share the morning with once again with some returning participants as well as first-timers 🙏🏽🤍💚🙌

Trusty assistant Grace making the most of a little drawing time

The melaleuca nodosa (prickly- leaf paperbark) is out 💛

And the lepto, no longer Lepto (Gaudium semibaccatum)

Wallum wedge pea

Lovely lines & shapes on the spent coastal banksia flower spike

Enchanted by Nature | Australian Watercolour Artist with her gorgeous little travelling palette!

Sweet little mistletoe bird!

11/09/2026

It’s peaking up on the peaks at present!! Lovely to share the morning with Joolie Gibbs & the wild mark making art women from her 4 day workshop Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre

03/09/2026

Lots of lovely Vanilla Lily (Sowerbeae juncea) is gracing the edges of our paths as well as tiny Slender Wire Lily (Laxmannia gracilis). Still lots of gorgeous things including some intense bloomings of Boronia (rosmarinafolia) doing the reconnaissance walk for tomorrow! It’s going to be warm out but worth it. Couple of spots left for this walk and more for next Sat ‘Walk & Draw’ at Currimundi 🙏🏽🩷🌸

See Wild/flower Women Projects on Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/wildflower-women-projects-32939647711

Hosted with The Wildflowering Collective

02/09/2026

What a sweet & unusual flower our Wallum bloodroot (haemodorum tenuifolium) has! It’s popping out at present in damp areas, especially those that have seen fire in recent years. You may be more familiar with the triangular seed pods it holds post flowering. With other species of haemodorum in northern Australia, the root has been used by First Nations women for dying pandanus. Can’t find any info on possible applications in SEQ. Would love to hear if anyone knows more about the uses of this plant & its dying qualities. In the meantime, loving the dangly elegant beauty of these little blooms 🧡

Address

22 Omrah Avenue
Caloundra, QLD
4551

Website

https://www.wildflowerwomen.net/

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