Blankets of colour: Western Australia’s wildflower season bursts to life – in pictures
Guardian AU
•Sun, 13 Sep 2026 15:00:08 GMT
📰 What Happened
Western Australia's wildflower season has started, and parts of the outback are covered in colour. The Guardian has published a photo gallery taken at the site of a huge radio telescope.
The photos show bright purple Ptilotus, also called mulla mulla, growing around the CSIRO's Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. Sturt's desert pea, known by the Wajarri name marlugur, also appears.
Flowers are carpeting Wajarri Yamaji country. Some images look like snow covering the ground when seen from above. The pictures come from CSIRO and Red Empire Media.
🔍 The Backstory
The remote observatory hosts several radio telescopes. They include the Askap telescope, the Murchison Widefield Array and the Experiment to Detect the Global EoR Signature.
The site is also where the international Square Kilometre Array Observatory is building Ska-Low. It is described as Australia's first mega-science facility.
One plant in the photos, Calandrinia mirabilis, was listed as a priority 1 threatened species. In 2025 it was moved to priority 3 after more populations were recorded at the site.
🎯 Why It Matters
The wildflower season draws visitors to remote towns and shows how a science site can protect rare plants. It is one of Australia's biggest natural shows.
Western Australia's wildflower season has started, and parts of the outback are covered in colour. The Guardian has published a photo gallery taken at the site of a huge radio telescope.
The photos show bright purple Ptilotus, also called mulla mulla, growing around the CSIRO's Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. Sturt's desert pea, known by the Wajarri name marlugur, also appears.
Flowers are carpeting Wajarri Yamaji country. Some images look like snow covering the ground when seen from above. The pictures come from CSIRO and Red Empire Media.
The remote observatory hosts several radio telescopes. They include the Askap telescope, the Murchison Widefield Array and the Experiment to Detect the Global EoR Signature.
The site is also where the international Square Kilometre Array Observatory is building Ska-Low. It is described as Australia's first mega-science facility.
One plant in the photos, Calandrinia mirabilis, was listed as a priority 1 threatened species. In 2025 it was moved to priority 3 after more populations were recorded at the site.
The wildflower season draws visitors to remote towns and shows how a science site can protect rare plants. It is one of Australia's biggest natural shows.