Our Round-leaf Pomaderris are flowering, Hoorah! Over twelve months ago we received 10 plants of the extremely rare Pomaderris vaccinifolia, or Round-leaf Pomaderris from Healesville Plants Indigenous Nursery. They have settled in, kicked on and begun to bloom.

The Round-leaf Pomaderris is endemic to Victoria and was recently added to Victoria's rare and threatened species list. The only significant wild population known to remain is now in Toolangi, 70km north east of Melbourne. Round-leaf Pomaderris plants are declining because of browsing by feral deer and land clearing. The Black Saturday bush fires may also have knocked them back and they are naturally slow to regenerate. This all amounts to a mere 100 (approx) mature naturally growing plants remaining in existence.  

They are a little hard to find in the Forest Gallery as they are still waiting for a label, but if you ask one of the Live Exhibits staff they will be happy to show you where they are.

The Rare Round-leaf Pomaderris flowers for the first time in the Forest Gallery Photo: Andrew Kuhlmann. Source: Museum Victoria.

The Silver Wattle in flower is our flag bearer for Spring. It is one of the most dramatic displays in Australia's temperate forests for us and animals. The tree is a feast for the eyes with the abundant flowers and a huge range of animals cash in on the bounty.

Locally in the Forest Gallery the male Satin Bower Bird is using it to decorate his Bower and the Red-browed Finches grab the flowers in their beaks and use them as a performance prop to impress a potential mate.

Check out the fun and games that's sure to be going on over the next few weeks.

Acacia dealbata Silver Wattle Flowering in the Forest Gallery Photo: Andrew Kuhlmann Source Museum Victoria

Thinking about orchids, the usual picture that comes to mind is striking blooms visible from 100 paces. Southern Victorian orchids however are incredibly subtle and definitely not available through Interflora.

Our local species intricately mimic insects or offer ornate landing pads rich in nectar to attract a pollinator. The shape of the Fringed Helmet Orchid (Corysanthes fimbriata) (see image below), and other Helmet orchids, channel divine inspiration and are said to resemble the headdress from a dancing priest of a Greek goddess!

Watch out for the two other orchid species that will be flowering soon. These are the Blunt Greenhood (Ptrestylis curta) and the Dainty Wasp Orchid (Chiloglottis trapeziformis).

Check it out in the Forest Gallery display until the end of September.

At 2cm this Fringed Helmet Orchid is angling to attract critters at the smaller end of the scale. Photograph: Alan Henderson Source: Museum Victoria

After making its first ever recorded Melbourne appearance in the Forest Gallery in 2008, our resident Stinkhorn has reappeared.

From a group of Fungi known as the Stinkhorns, the Stinky Squid (Pseudocolus fusiform) has the dubious quality of attracting flies to spread its spores by emanating the smell of "rotting fish" or "blocked sewerage pipes". Like all fungi, they are here one day gone the next. At the moment look for them at the end of the Earth Section in the Forest Gallery.

Starting out as a typical egg shaped mushroom, the fruiting body then erupts within a couple of days, armed with the precious brown slime which contains its reproductive spores.

Pseudocolus fusiform commonly known as Stinky Squid is fruiting now in the Forest Gallery. Photo: Andrew Kuhlmann Source: Museum Victoria

The humble 'Duckweed', thriving here in the Forest Gallery pond, is a mighty plant in a small package. It's flowers are the smallest in the world but it is recorded as the world's fastest growing plant. Also known as Water Lentils it is an important food source for ducks and other water fowl containing more protein than Soy Beans. In return for a good feed the water birds help it to colonise new water bodies by carrying it on their plumage. Duckweed is also good cover for fish and frogs, it removes excess nitrogen and phosphates from the water and a good matt of the stuff prevents mosquito breeding. After a busy Spring Summer period it will die back for the cooler months.

Mass of floating Duckweed. Photographer: Andrew Kuhlmann Source: Museum Victoria