Benz World Blog » Flora

Blueberry Farm

Jason Benz — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 04:16:05 +0000

These blueberries at Riparian Farm in New South Wales are bursting with flavour and ready to be picked. The industry has been impacted by Covid border closures. Even Australians stranded abroad are only trickling back into the country as seats on flights are strictly limited to the number of spaces in hotel quarantine. The lack of backpackers in 2020 risks delicious food going to waste. My inner pragmatic green knew I could help and the farm is in the warm end of the state which is a beautiful place to defrost after a cold Blue Mountain winter in my van.

Berry picking is the perfect antidote for anyone who has become stir crazy in lockdown. Nature, laughter and reggae can be heard in the fields every day. A handful of pickers carry speakers, when they are spread over the hillside, the mix of music in the breeze evokes the sound of festivals, which now feel like part of history. Physically, it is easier than expected. Unlike most jobs, the human body is perfect for selecting and picking berries. Our colour eyesight and nimble fingers evolved for this purpose. Fresh air, light exercise and plenty of vitamin D, one healthy way to ride out a pandemic.

Anyone in NSW interested in helping with the harvest from May to November contact Mountain Blue.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Purple Flag

Jason Benz — Tue, 16 May 2017 13:55:29 +0000

This is Patersonia Sericea, commonly known as the Purple Flag, Native Iris or Native Flag. It is endemic to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. This flower was photographed in a garden in Western Australia.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Flaming Torch

Jason Benz — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 15:01:04 +0000

This flower is from an epiphytic bromeliad. We have a small colony of them growing on the Frangipani trees in our garden in Queensland, Australia.

This image is for Molly Path who is fond of my floral photography.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Leaf Rain

Jason Benz — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 11:52:10 +0000

The colours in this leaf on the grass in my garden caught my eye. It is the dry season here in Queensland, Australia but no one told the rain. The Gold Coast has a subtropical climate. This time of year is the build up to the hot wet summer but sometimes it arrives early.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Rose Tunnel

Jason Benz — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 09:49:59 +0000

This rose tunnel is on the Voyager Estate in Margaret River, Western Australia. There is a rose garden and red and white rose bushes at the end of every row of vines. There are a number of theories to why wine growers plant roses. They vary from purely aesthetic to practical bio-engineering. I suspect any floral diversity would be beneficial to the ecological environment.

Yellow Lichen

Jason Benz — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 12:49:55 +0000

I think this is lichen on the bark of a tree in Western Australia. It is easy to think of this state as all deserts and goldfields, however it has some of the worlds most majestic forests in it’s south west corner. If you recognize the type of bark or the yellow substance please leave a comment.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Purple Rain

Jason Benz — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 01:13:25 +0000

RIP Prince, Thank you for the music.

Flowering Frangipani

Jason Benz — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 08:49:54 +0000

This is one of two Frangipani trees in front of our house on the Gold Coast in Queensland. They have been covering the lawn with yellow and pink flowers since the beginning of the Australian summer.

This weekend we have been working on our van in preparation for a Christmas trip to Keppel Island. Last year we took a day trip to the island. This year we will be camping there for four days so we will have much more time to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Doubtful Dahlia

Jason Benz — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 11:59:46 +0000

I think this is a dahlia but I can not be sure. If you know better, please leave a comment. It was photographed last weekend at the Carnival of Flowers in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. I try to get a positive identification before I post flora and fauna, but an evening of searching yellow flowers on google yielded nothing certain.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Peppermint Tree

Jason Benz — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 09:54:39 +0000

This is the Peppermint Tree in Kings Park Botanic Garden in Perth, Western Australia.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.