The Blue Mountains Turn Pink
Nature is a time traveler. Its greatest stories happen over and over again in cycles, different generations of humans experiencing the same ‘once in a lifetime’ phenomenons. That’s what the Pink Flannel Flowers are in the Blue Mountains, so rare that a bushwalker can go their entire life without seeing one, but recurrent over time, and in the right conditions.
Their story lies just beneath the surface, in the soil, where seeds lay dormant for years requiring a special set of conditions including extreme heat and smoke from fires, then lots and lots of rain. They are a beacon of rejuvenation and a sign that the area is healing, always appearing a year after fires.
The last time a flowering of Pink Flannel Flowers so massive took place in the Blue Mountains it was in the 1950’s, making this mass flowering not only rare, but also a reminder of how devastating the fires were last year.
Narrow Neck Trail
A caterpillar!
They can easily be seen on Narrow Neck Trail in Katoomba along the road amongst burnt banksias and the sweeping vistas of the Blue Mountains including the Three Sisters in the distance. Against the background of a Lyrebird calling, the striking beauty of this phenomenon took our breath away. Some of the trails are still closed from the fires, but we saw plenty of wildlife up there including Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Fantails, Thornbills, Wrens and Crismon Rosellas.
Visiting today, a little over a year after the fires, witnessing this special event made me think of how many things lying dormant right now will blossom when we’re a year past our current global crisis. How much seeding of ideas, flowering of relationships and lives filled with tight hugs and handshakes.
These tiny pink flowers are a story of hope, a reminder of what comes after crisis.
Hurry if you want to see them, these native wildflowers only stick around for a few months and have been blooming since January. The best spot is by the Golden Stairs, seen easily from this location until the Narrowneck Carpark and Gate. Enter from Cliff Drive and park at the Carpark or up until the Golden Stairs.
Cheers,
Stephanie + Amy
PS - Here are some other photos from the day:
Three Sisters in the distance (left)
Lots of rain also brought fungi
