Banksias – beautiful and functional

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banksia menziesii is flowering at the moment and it is the most common Banksia species in our bushland. The flowers are large and attractive to birds and insects alike.

The flowers of Banksia menziesii come in a variety of colours as you can see from the photographs above. From pure yellow, through red, to bronze and everything in between, there is a colour form to suit every taste.

There are five other species of Banksia to be found in our bushland, too. As they tend to flower at slightly different times of the year, you can almost always find a Banksia species in flower.

That is good news for the wildlife that feed on nectar as they need something to eat every day. If there aren’t any flowers then the wildlife either has to move elsewhere to find food or starve to death. Let’s hope the wildlife never has to face these consequences.