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ScienceQuiet 7d · day 11

Western Australia's wildflower season blooms around radio telescopes

Early winter rains trigger the best Murchison wildflower display in over a decade, with rare species thriving among CSIRO's observatory antennas.

newest coverage 7d agosummary written 8d ago3 pieces85 likes & upvotes3 comments NewswiresBlueskyMastodon

What to know

  • Early winter rains triggered Western Australia's best wildflower season in over a decade at the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, with native blooms flowering among radio telescopes.
  • At least one rare species was downlisted from priority conservation status (Priority 1 to Priority 3) following documentation of new populations at the observatory site.
  • CSIRO's land management practices—monitoring species, adapting water flow, and transitioning the site from pastoral use to research—have enabled both telescope operations and biodiversity recovery.

Andrew Whitmarsh CSIRO Land Manager, Murchison ObservatoryCSIRO Observatory operator and land steward

Western Australia's wildflower season blooms around radio telescopes
csiro.au

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 1 piece in 3h at Sep 13, 10 AM; 3 pieces over 11 days (1 article · 2 posts) Sep 13, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 13, 1 PM — quietSep 13, 4 PM — quietSep 13, 7 PM — quietSep 13, 10 PM — quietSep 14, 1 AM — quietSep 14, 4 AM — quietSep 14, 7 AM — quietSep 14, 10 AM — quietSep 14, 1 PM — quietSep 14, 4 PM — quietSep 14, 7 PM — quietSep 14, 10 PM — quietSep 15, 1 AM — quietSep 15, 4 AM — quietSep 15, 7 AM — quietSep 15, 10 AM — quietSep 15, 1 PM — quietSep 15, 4 PM — quietSep 15, 7 PM — quietSep 15, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 16, 1 AM — quietSep 16, 4 AM — quietSep 16, 7 AM — quietSep 16, 10 AM — quietSep 16, 1 PM — quietSep 16, 4 PM — quietSep 16, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 16, 10 PM — quietSep 17, 1 AM — quietSep 17, 4 AM — quietSep 17, 7 AM — quietSep 17, 10 AM — quietSep 17, 1 PM — quietSep 17, 4 PM — quietSep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 7 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quiet 1–2
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  1. background

    CSIRO highlights wildflower season and land stewardship at Murchison site — CSIRO's official reporting describes the exceptional 2026 wildflower season at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, emphasizing the diversity of blooms around the ASKAP and SKA-Low telescopes and detailing the observatory's land management practices that have enabled biodiversity recovery.

  2. 1

    Rare wildflower species reaches record conservation status after observatory monitoring

    The striking pink Calandrinia mirabilis, previously listed as a Priority 1 protected species by Western Australia's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, was downlisted to Priority 3 in 2025 after additional populations were documented at the observatory site through CSIRO's land management team's monitoring efforts.

    “We've helped trace new populations of protected wildflowers, resulting in one already being reduced from a priority 1 to a priority 3 protected species last year.”
    — Andrew Whitmarsh
    • rami.spaceaustralia.com

      Western Australia’s wildflower season is happening, and the ASKAP and SKA antennas are surrounded by lots of growth! Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, looks great thanks to the early winter rains! Read more: www.csiro.au/en/news/All/... 📸 CSIRO

      rami.spaceaustralia.comBluesky8d ago85▲view on Bluesky ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
    • cosmos4u@scicomm.xyz

      World-leading radio telescopes give space for stunning wildflowers: https://www. csiro.au/en/news/All/Articles/ 2026/September/Wildflowers-and-telescopes - in the remote Western Australian outback wildflowers bloom under the Murchison's brilliant skies, right among the radio telescopes at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO # Murchison…

      cosmos4u@scicomm.xyzMastodon7d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  3. 2

    Early winter rains trigger exceptional wildflower bloom at Murchison Observatory

    The CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory site in Western Australia's remote mid-west experiences its best wildflower season in more than a decade, with early winter rains prompting dormant seeds to germinate and native species to bloom across the landscape.

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