Random Natural History

This post is a selection of photos and witterings about recent sightings in te Mallacoota area.  It begins in Gipsy Point cemetery, which we visited briefly on the way back from Canberra.

When we visited the Cemetery with the Mallacoota and District Historical Society there was some commentary about the "bloody orchids".  This followed a comment about how good it was that much of the site was not mowed during orchid flowering season.  The speaker explained that the late Alan Peisley - a trustee of the Cemetery, who spent a lifetime studying orchids - considered that the orchids needed the open habitat provided by mowing.  (That is supported by the great display currently, near the Gun Club.)  The key point is to avoid doing this in Spring!

On our visit (28/9) there were a good crop of Glossodia major, several Diuris pardina, and quite a few buds of Thelymitra sp.  The big deal was a flower of Caleana minor, the Little Flying Duck Orchid.

An orchid expert friend has pointed out that as the labellum os folded  against the column the flower has probably been pollinated.  The ID was assisted by the red leaf. 

On the 29th we saw an Australian White Ibis taking breakfast.  The eel would probably have preferred it to be raiding garbage bins.

Along the bike path there was an impressive clump of Kennedia prostrata  (aka Running Postman).

For some reason I have always pronounced the genus name as Ken-needier.  A friend prefers  - I now think correctly- Kennedy-ugh.  Whatever, it's pretty in close up.

The Melaleuca armilaris is hitting its straps.

It is a very low tide at present which exposes a lot of interesting marine life in the pools at Bastion Point.  On this large rock I counted 36 Shield limpets (plus 3 Abalone).

An interesting Brittle Star with about 10 arms.

One of a pair of Sooty Oystercatchers.

On the 30th there was a fall of virga, leading to an aerial rainbow over Karbeethong.  No reports of pots of gold have been received thus far.

Its everywhere

When we first moved down to Mallacoota we were almost wondering what had happened to the flowers that we had previously noted.  Just recently it has seemed that everywhere we go there are copious, and interesting blossoms!

The first few images are from a walk through the forest to Pebbly Beach.  Idon't normally photo rushes etc but this looked interesting.  I think it is a species of Lomandra after the floral parts have dropped off.

Many finger orchids (Caladenia sp) in a range of colours all over the forest floor.

Acacia verticillata is still in flower

Coming up from the beach we found a group of Pterostylis nutans nodding away

A single P. pedunculata.

Te most excitement of the day was finding this Green-comb Spider Orchid between the beach and the footbridge.  Its scientific name is Caladenia tentaculata: ie the same genus as the finger orchids!  How that linkage is made is bewildering, suggesting that dosage needs to be adjusted for a few taxonomists!

A close-up of the combs.

Another pretty Pomaderris.

On the way back to Betka we paused briefly to view a sea of Patersonia in the slashed heath around the BoM site and air navigation towers.  The paddock was essentially purple.  However when one of the group went back the next day all the flowers had gone.  That observer marveled at how the plants had coordinated their flowering to one day!  Assuming that the plants are fertilised by insects  - and I can't see why such lurid flowers would be developed for wind pollination - the local insects also got themselves organised rather well!

These are the images from the Gun Club Heath.  which we visited on the 26th.  We saw quite a few 'normal' Diuris orientis.

We also found these strange looking all yellow orchids.  They were definitely not D. chryseopsis (Golden Moth orchid) and turned out to be an unusual yellow form of D. orientis.

The astonishing sight here was a huge number of Glossodia major (Waxlip orchid). 

They were in profusion on both sides of the airport fence, in approximately the area outlined in red (possibly a wider area as we didn't explore everywhere).

Google Earth tells me this is ~11 hectares or 110,000 square metres.  I had guessed at one orchid per square metre giving 110,000 plants which seems unbelievable.  However at a minimum there were many thousands of these orchids present.  This just shows what can happen when vegetation is opened up!

We also found a few spider orchids: again C. tentaculata.

Over by the Gun Club fence we also found some sun orchid buds.  This one was more red than it appears here and was either Thelymitra rubra or T. carnea.  The dry habitat suggests T. rubra but a later visit is needed to confirm this.

We also explored the bush, trying to find a track down to the River.  We failed on that, but did find this very large bracket fungus, knocked off a tree which had become horizontal.

More Spring flowers

When we last visited Shipwreck Creek our orchid expert guests spotted some large leaves that they identified as belonging to Prasophyllum sp. orchids.  Of course it wasn't possible to identify the species without the flowers.  So we took ourselves back there on 24 September to see if the flowers had emerged.  They hadn't but there were a few other things of interest.

The road down there is rapidly becoming somewhat ordinary.  That is a tad worse than "average".  At least Parks had cleared the fallen trees off the road in their section.  On the subject of fallen trees ...

 The information shed was very lucky not to have been hit by the falling branch.  Indeed it was very lucky no-one was using the picnic table at the time.

We saw a few Glossodia minor flowers at the start of the heath area but the images didn't come out well.  Burchardia umbellata (Milkmaids) was much more common than on previous visits.  (The black specks are the anthers.)

 A swathe of Tetratheca sp.

 I have mentioned previously Comesperma volubile, a climbing plant with blue flowers.  In the heath at Shipwreck the purple flowers of C. ericinum are more common.  When looked at closely the structure of the flowers is very similar.

 A bean!  I will go no further than that

 Leptospermum laevigatum was common.  I thought this blossom-covered bush was particularly attractive.

 We found various pink Caladenia sp.  Some were quite large and rated as C. carnea.  There were also some tiny ones such as this.  In view of the size and as the petals look to be rounded with the end of the labellum yellowish green, I believe this to be C. pusilla.

 The biggest excitement was finding two sun orchids (Thelymitra sp.).  This first image gives a view of the white tufts ...

 .. while this angle shows some spots.  I will thus call it T. ixioides.    It is a bit early but our book says they start flowering in late September near the coast.

 A view of the second plant .

 More research was needed on this one but I have concluded it matches Chaemaescilla corymbosa (Blue Stars - certainly apt).

 As we got back to the Melaleuca forest Frances noticed this tall Diuris in an open patch. It was very tall for this genus and ...

.. had an unusual pattern of dark markings, which match well to Diuris orientis.

Spring is sprung

The bush is alive with views of blossom (and other things).  Here are some snaps from the past few days.

Pittosporum undulatum is really hitting its straps on Lakeside Drive!

 I have concluded that this is Caladenia carnea.

I am normally averse to photographing Pomaderris as for 11 months of the year they are very boring plants.  (The criteria for IDing to species level also appear to be an art rather than a science, which excites some folk, but gives me the irrits.)  However when they are in flower they are pretty good to look at such as this P. elliptica, found on the Betka River walk.

 Pultenaea daphnoides

 This caused some grief to me, but Frances quickly nailed it as Comesperma volubile.

 This one was a puzzle also with spiky leaves.  But I eventually decided it was Aotus ericoides (the leaves being a strong hint, together with Joy Greig's comment ".. many stemmed shrub ...".

The next few photos come from a slashed area along Watertrust Rd.  Although it looks awful immediately after slashing this seems to encourage a great display of low plants in the next year or two.  We noticed the flowers along here after birding at the poo pits yesterday, but my camera was acting up (aka trying to be helpful in ways that weren't).  After adjusting some settings I rode back there this morning.

Lets start with some orchids.  Glossodia major.

 A Caladenia - it looked pinker than this in the field so I think C. carnea,

 Having beaten the camera into obedience it really delivers the goods.  A close up of the labellum above

 Lots of Diuris pardina.

 I am confident this is a small tree.  Probably Eucalyptus or Corymbia.  It had been slashed so deserves points for trying.

 As the leaves aren't opposite I don't think its an Angophora.

Stackhousia monogyna

 Euphrasia collina.

When we arrived at the poo pits on 22 September another birder was there and after discussing the denizens of the ponds said that they were on their home, but en-route were calling in to the Captains Creek Trail to inspect Flying Duck orchids reported to them by yet another birder.  Clearly all concerned are more than 'just' birders!

So on 23 September we loaded the shotgun camera and went duck hunting.  We started by finding some beaks: Lyperanthus suavolens the Brown Beak orchid.

 About 5 m further down the Track were the first specimens of Caleana major the Flying Duck orchid.  Some were flying to the right ..

 .. and others to the left.

 Leucopogon ericoides

 Boronia muelleri

 Drosera auriculata

 A sticky leaf iof the sundew with some prey being digested.

 A clump of Comesperma volubile.

 I think this is Ricinocarpos pinifolius.  If so it is a male flower.

 Platylobium parviflorum (?)

 Seed pods of Acacia mucronata (?)

 Epacris obtusifolia

 Platylobium and Tetratheca

Pimelea linifolia

 My best guess, from Joy Greig's book, is Amperea xiphoclada "Broom Spurge".

 We called in at the Information Bay to see what was going on there but the only interesting plant (other than a few Diuris pardina across the road) was this lily: Looking at the books for the South Coast of NSW by Don and Betty Wood, backed up by Flora of Victoria, we now think Thelionema caespitosum!

Reptiles are also around.  The Red-bellied Black Snakes are being a bit quick to hide but the skinks are being more cooperative.