Gradually I'm learning the names of the trees and shrubs growing in this part of outback Queensland: brigalow, myall, emu apple. mulga, bimble box, bottle tree, woody pear, quinine tree, zig-zag acacia, budgeroo, wait-a-while, wilga, coolibah, currawong. What lovely names, some Aboriginal in origin. They roll off the tongue, giving hints as to their appearance.
Then there are the butterflies that live in round in and around Mitchell: chequered swallowtail, common crow, scarlet jezebel, common eggfly, meadow argus, Australian painted lady, lemon migrant. All these and more flutter in the treetops, sipping nectar, absorbing the warmth of the sun in an environment relatively free of pesticides.
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