Here come the birds

I recently shared a few photos with you that my friend Wayne took. Unlike me, he's a bit more skilled behind the camera.

This morning he snapped these at home as our Golden Penda trees have just started flowering. Did you know that the Penda is Cairns' official floral emblem?

They're believed to be more attractive to birds than Richie Bates. The Penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) is one of the most stunning tropical rainforest species. Ingrid Just at ABC raves about theses plants as well.

The previous Mulgrave Shire had the Golden Penda as it's floral emblem and after amalgamation of Mulgrave Shire and Cairns City Council in 1995, it become the floral emblem of Cairns. There's little truth to the rumour that the current Council passed a motion to change the logo to a Bessa Concrete Block.

This species only occur between Cardwell in the south and the Iron Range, often along the Mulgrave River banks, making this tree a true local along North Queensland’s coastline.