I am not a botanist, but I do love nature and color. And, I also love to learn about beauty on other continents as well as attempting to successfully photograph it. So it was for that reason that I chose to go on a wildflower tour while in Perth, Australia. The concierge at my hotel recommended utilizing Australian Pinnacle Tours, a company with a long-standing reputation for dependability. I chose their one day tour, which would afford me as much opportunity to view as possible. I was up against no time deadlines and it was a pleasure to go on the excursion at my leisure.

My hotel’s concierge arranged to have their shuttle pick me up at my hotel and take me to the company’s starting point in downtown Perth. This service stopped for a few other passengers along the way and did not take an undue amount of time. After paying for the excursion, we were on our way in a large and comfortable tour bus by 8:00 a.m. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t "do 8:00 a.m." and would be proud of the way I bounded easily out of bed to meet this deadline.

We each received a guide to wildflowers which named, described and displayed a photograph of the plants and flowers which we would be viewing. Because the flowering is seasonal, it is difficult to say where each tour will go for this itinerary, as it depends on the time of year and the most favorable viewing areas. But our guide made sure that we saw what was coming up for the season as we were in their early spring. Australia, being in the southern hemisphere, has seasons opposite to ours so their early October (when I visited) is like our early April. The buds were in bloom and though we had to look closely at times, we could see the beginnings of life all around – both on the ground

and in the trees.

My objective, as I said, was to try and successfully photograph the flora of the region. This is a challenge for any photographer, professional or amateur. There are so many variables to consider including light, distance and angle of sun to name a few, but I tried my best. Though my focus was not always spot on, I found it a welcome challenge to see how much I could successfully capture. Much of it required up-close shots, using a nature setting on my camera.

Morning tea and cakes were served about 10:30 a.m. and we stopped at a lovely park to enjoy a packed lunch around 12:30 p.m. We concluded our tour about 4:30 p.m. and I eagerly returned to my hotel room, anxious to see how my photographs had turned out. I’m happy to say that I caught a nice representation of the day and of the flora of western Australia.