The Enchanted Forest. Rain Sweet Rain. Video and Original Photography.
Through mists of rain
And seemed to sense a kind of a miracle
Much too deep to understand. Except there I was. So much in love.
~With slight adaptations to Carl Sigman's lyrics: The day that the rains came down.
The demise of summer told of gentle sweet rain blessing the earth of Sydney once again after searing sultry days and many sleepless summer nights.
Walking in the soft rain, I slowly made my way down to the local creek: Moores Creek which is a small corridor of bushland in the heart of the Sydney suburb of Roseville.
Within moments I was no longer in 'familiar' bushland, but an Enchanted Forest radiating more magic that a mere mortal like myself could possibly breathe in.
This is a short video from the photographs taken on my adventure, crossing the swollen creek to the opposite escarpment.
Produced using the trial version of Animoto's Professional Plan: Hence the watermarks, which I hope will simply fade away as your vision is flooded by the bewitching allure of this tiny pocket of wilderness.
Photographs of Moores Creek that were spun into the video.
Twenty eight images were selected, with the first two images repeated at the end of the video because I wanted to create the impression of returning to the place from where I started.
Gigantic Bird's Nest Fern.
I've been watching this Bird's Nest Fern thrive for the past ten years now. It grows out from a hugh rock. Drawing in nutrients from forest leaves that mulch down into compost at its centre.
Home of the Water Dragon.
But can you see the Brush Turkey? I'll have a little surprise for the first person who can see him.
The dry creek bed is alive once again.
Past the mini waterfalls. Looking for a place to cross the creek to reach the other side.
These rocks are incredibly slippery. Walking barefoot, testing each and every foot placement and step.
Water's edge. No place to land here.
Reached the other side
Climbing up to the top of the escarpment. Making my own trail through straggly branches, dried bracken and tree ferns.
Bush thickets of native birches and red bark gums. Glowing in the rain.
Looking down and across to the track on the other side of the creek.
Lines of rain and soft green lichens on the native birches.
An old tree trunk beautiful sculpted. First glimpses of the Bird's Nest Ferns.
The magnificent Patriarch looking down into his domain.
Still as youthfully green as ever.
These Bird's Nest Ferns are slightly shaded from the intense summer sun and somehow manage to stay green throughout the year.
Reaching out.
My favourite photograph in this series, as it shows just how gigantic this particular Bird's Nest Fern is.
The children of the Patriarch.
Peeping out from under the top ledge.
Hide and seek.
Light on the Bird's Nest Fern.
The beautiful waves along the edges of the Bird's Nest Fern's leaves are a result of the plant receiving some sunlight.
Baby Bird's Nest Ferns.
Looking into the heart of the Bird's Nest Fern.
Standing on the edge of the ledge and looking down into the centre of this most magnificent plant, I'm aware of a tremendous sense of being so high up above the creek bed. Aware of the power of this place, the Domain of the Water Dragon.
Looking down to where human visitors would usually only look up to see the Home of the Water Dragon.
The descent. Returning to the creek.
The five friends.
Detail of the lichen. The rain really brings the subtle pale greens to life.
Back at the creek.
This tree saved my life. At the very least, holding onto this tree as I stepped down into the creek saved me from what could have been a nasty fall, as my foot went skidding out along the rock. My arm is still sore from being pulled so strongly as I hung on tightly ~ Camera in the other hand.
It had only just stopped raining and already the cascades were slowing down.
Tomorrow I'm planning to take another mini-holiday: A whole day this time, venturing much further along the Two Creeks Track. I've been part of the way before, but not as far as I'd like to go this time. With my amazing Sony.
SONY Mark2 A7: 35 mm:
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Brush turkey spotted on top of the rock!
LOVE ferns, so happy to see so many of them lusciously green - in homes with CV they seldom last for more than a month! As your video/photo tour prooves, the bathroom seems to be the best place for them, but then it will be a mouldy bathroom, to be sure!
Well Spotted @sukhasanasister. First surprise is my 100% upvote for your comment.
The second surprise will come on Sunday. After I've recovered from my trek today. 😊
These ferns can be easily propagated from the spores under the leaves. So they say. I've never tried but would like to.
I'm not sure, just thought of it now. Maybe these ferns can absorb moisture from the air and therefore they might even prevent a bathroom from gathering mould. Will have to find out now.
TA for the treat!They'd have to do an awful lot of slurping for that positive outcome to happen! (Leaves actually exude moisture and drink only with their roots. Leaves are solar panels).
Pleasure @sukhasanasister. Have just sent you a gratitude gift of 1 SBD for reading 'The Enchanted Forest.'
After reading a few articles on how to take care of Bird's Nest Ferns indoors, if I were a Bird's Nest Fern I'd prefer to take my chances of gathering moisture in my centre from any rainwater or moisture that trickles down my fronds, along with all the little leaves and the occasional bird dropping to make my food.
I think you are right that they wouldn't absorb moisture through the fronds but interestingly the fronds play a role in how they obtain water. 🦋
Leaves are such handy apparati! Every hair, dent, wrinkle or furrow serves a purpose. Where did they go to architecture school?....
Blown away by what spotting a turkey can do for my steem account! Gobbles of thanks for the competition. I've been looking out for tiny wall ferns in my northern European climes ever since I read your post (they are endangered apparently).
Asplenium
Architecture School of the Universe?
I've been taking photographs of our resident Brush Turkey. Not the most photographic of creatures. Has a kind of jerky movement whenever I click the shutter. his claim to fame is that he's quite prehistoric but everyone with a nice suburban garden wants to shoo him away.
These are such beautiful ferns. Look so healthy. Would be a shame if they vanished from the face of this earth. 🦋
Thanks so very much @pixresteemer. 🦋
Beautiful photography! I would have loved to have walked there when I was younger...wouldn't want to slip and fall at this point though.
Thanks so very much @andot.
I went for quite a slide about a year ago, in the same area. Which was why I knew how careful I needed to be.
It's really only a very small strip of land on both sides of the creek. The reason why it's so important is that it gives migratory birds a temporary place to stop, on their way north. There is a group of bush care people who work there on the weekends. Planting out species that are indigneous to the specific area.
There's actualy a track that runs alongside the creek ~ And you'd be quite safe walking there. 🦋
Wunderful !
Thanks so much Corrie. The creek bed has almost completely dried up again now. Still beautiful in its wild way. Just not as easy to come in touch with the incredible magic that's there in the rain. 🦋
amazing gud luck for awesome post bro god bless @allyinspirit
Thank you @saqib143. 🦋
Thank you @pixresteemer so much. 🦋
These are beautiful plants in an amazing and enchanting place....I've also enjoyed your"video" with these pictures, thanks for this walk into the mysterious and wonderful bushland ^_^
It was wonderful to take you into this little area of bushland Barbara. I feel blessed that it's so closeby.
I was there again this morning and saw a huge water dragon. They come out to bask in the sun but scurry away as soon as they sense a human. I'm sure they wouldn't be afraid of Luigi though and he would love playing with them.
So pleased you liked the video. I'm going to use Filmora Video Editing for my next video. Love that we can upload to D.TUBE. 🦋
ooooooooooo all this with creative commons , thank you so much this is a wonder :))
Thanks so much Alex.
When I was painting Australian wildflowers, I was always looking out for images of landscapes to use in the background.
So I'm really happy now to be able to share my own landscape images with any artists who would like to use them. 🦋