WA Naturalists' Club

Call Directions Website

WA Naturalists' Club The Club is a society of amateurs & professionals interested in the study & conservation of Western Australia's nature - flora, fauna, fungi etc.

The Western Australian Naturalists’ Club is designed to cater for all environmentally conscious members of the community interested in biodiversity in this state. Founded in Perth in 1924, the club is a respected and vibrant society that provides for a wide range of interests for the amateur and the professional across four branches in the Perth metro area. All branches of natural history and conservation are covered in a full program of meetings, excursions, workshops and the occasional social event. These include bird watching, botany, spotlighting, fossil and fungi forays, observing habitats from forests to reefs as well as learning more about environmental issues in Western Australia such as soil salinity, introduced flora and fauna and land degradation. Members receive a monthly newsletter and a refereed scientific journal, 'The Western Australian Naturalist' twice a year. Both publications allow members to be aware of all activities within the club and broader happenings of relevant science. Membership is available through our website:

http://www.wanaturalists.org.au/get-involved/join-the-club/

At our recent excursion to Lions Lookout, Lesmurdie, on the Darling Scarp, we benefitted from the long experience of bot...
14/10/2026

At our recent excursion to Lions Lookout, Lesmurdie, on the Darling Scarp, we benefitted from the long experience of botanist Prof Byron Lamont, who showed us rare orchids found nowhere else and other spectacular flora that make this a special place.

The South-western snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina oblonga) is endemic to our south-west and becomes more active as the we...
06/10/2026

The South-western snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina oblonga) is endemic to our south-west and becomes more active as the weather warms up (like many reptiles). You may see them basking near waterways, and between September and January you might also see the females searching for sandy nesting places in which to lay eggs, which will hatch in 160 -200 days. If you find a turtle in difficulty e.g. in danger from traffic or swooping birds, call one of the local wildlife shelters; you can also use the Save Our Snake-necked Turtles site for guidance https://www.sosnt.net.au/get-involved
Images: Turtle (by Alex Cearns of Houndstooth Studios); a turtle crossing a busy road in Albany; a turtle starting to dig her nest (by Carla).

During this time of year the Balgas or Grass Trees (Xanthorrea sp.) will start to flower, especially if they've been bur...
06/10/2026

During this time of year the Balgas or Grass Trees (Xanthorrea sp.) will start to flower, especially if they've been burnt or closely pruned in the past year. However, fire is NOT necessary to make the plants flower. (Images: Grasstrees flowering at Star Swamp, C Curry; X. preissii at Star Swamp, North Beach, 7 months after fire, W Dadour)

Speaking of Kambarang-flowering orchids, if you look around your local bushland areas you might even spot some of the Sp...
06/10/2026

Speaking of Kambarang-flowering orchids, if you look around your local bushland areas you might even spot some of the Spider Orchids (Caladenia sp.) such as the Common, Slender, White or Crimson. They grow wild in Kings Park, for example. (Image: Crimson Spider Orchid clump, Geoff Derrin, Wikimedia Commons)

Orchids are a great favourite of our community, though they have a shorter flowering period than many other local wildfl...
01/10/2026

Orchids are a great favourite of our community, though they have a shorter flowering period than many other local wildflowers. Some of them first appear in late September and October. But what exactly is an orchid? For one thing, they only have one line of symmetry (like a human face). For another almost all have a highly modified third petal that’s called a ‘lip’ or ‘labellum’ and a conspicuous central column consisting of the fused stamens and style.
Can you find some Donkey Orchids (Diuris) with their bright yellow ‘ears’? (Image C Prickett)
Or a patch of dainty Pink Fairy Orchids (Caladenia flava)? Send us your orchid pics!

Now we're in the Noongar season of Kambarang. It's the season of birth and generally happens during October - November.D...
01/10/2026

Now we're in the Noongar season of Kambarang. It's the season of birth and generally happens during October - November.
During Kambarang we see an abundance of colours and flowers exploding all around us. Many things are undergoing transformation with the warm change in the weather. Longer dry periods accompany this warming trend.
Banksias and acacias (wattles) continue to flower and are joined by the dazzling spikes of bottlebrush trees (Callistemon sp., image by Yoko Nekonomania, Wikimedia Commons) and many other smaller, more delicate flowering plants, including kangaroo paws (image T Marwood), cats' paws (image Anigozanthos humilis, Lakshmi Sawitri on Wikimedia Commons) and a huge variety of orchids (blue Sun Orchids, T Marwood).

Many birds nest during the season of Djilba (Aug-Sept), so you might spot Wattlebirds in your garden in search of nestin...
26/08/2026

Many birds nest during the season of Djilba (Aug-Sept), so you might spot Wattlebirds in your garden in search of nesting material (we saw one at the weekend in Kings Park botanic garden), or W***y Wagtails chasing away ravens or magpies many times larger than themselves. (Images: Red wattlebird by Mick Stephenson; W***y Wagtail chasing Magpie, by Sardaka.)

25/08/2026

Get out anywhere enjoy nature

Just a couple of the birds seen at the excursion to Herdsman Lake on Sunday 11 August, by Josh Mackie.
13/08/2026

Just a couple of the birds seen at the excursion to Herdsman Lake on Sunday 11 August, by Josh Mackie.

This is the time of year when it becomes apparent why the south-west is one of the most special places on earth. More th...
12/08/2026

This is the time of year when it becomes apparent why the south-west is one of the most special places on earth. More than half our local plant species are endemic to this corner of Australia - found nowhere else in the world!
And you don’t have to go far from the centre of the city to see the best of our wildflowers. Around September, over 1700 species of plants burst into bloom in Kings Park. but almost every pocket of bushland in the south-west comes alive at this time of year. And around 50 new species are identified every year! Images are from Kings Park (Aug 2016) by T Marwood - Hypocalymma robustum and Hybanthus calycinus.

Address

1st Floor, 82 Beaufort Street
Perth, WA
6000

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3am

Telephone

+61892282495

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when WA Naturalists' Club posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category