The Pilbara, Western Australia
The Sturt’s Desert Pea was adopted by South Australia as its official floral emblem, however it is most native to the Pilbara region in North-Western Australia.
At the time we were traveling through South Oz, I was unaware of this fact, even despite being a botanical buff. The absence of this stunning flower was disappointing. I wasn’t sure if we would ever pass through this way again and I wanted to be able to tick this flower of my list. (Yes, I have a list!)
It was mid-Summer so I figured it was just bad timing, climate wise, and accepted the fact that seeing and photographing this flower was not going to happen this time around.
Nine months later saw us traveling north up the west coast of Australia in Spring. The wildflowers were plentiful.
While gazing out at what seemed like endless plains of hot, desert sands and dry shrubbery, kilometre after kilometre after kilometre.. tiny flashes of red specks by the road began to shift my view.
Surely not Sturt’s Desert Pea?? We’re in the wrong state aren’t we?.. I began to rise a little higher in my seat, elated at the prospect of seeing this flower in the flesh. How could one little flower get me so excited? I’m guessing that it was just another subtle reminder of how blessed I felt to be on such an awesome adventure with my tribe, seeing and feeling things that were so incredibly different to my own native birth habitat. That and the fact that I am deeply in LOVE with nature.