Narrows the focus

As we hadn't been to The Narrows for a while we decided to go there for our walk on 7 October,  It has the advantage of being pretty flat as an offset to being pretty dry country - presumably a rain shadow effect.  Here is the route (2.27 km):

The weather was overcast and mild.  For snake photography this made it like Baby Bear's porridge: not so cold that the reptiles stayed in their burrows, but not so hot that they zipped around.  The case in point was a Red-bellied Black Snake.

 I have never noticed the brown nose before.  Presumably the scales have been abraded by burrowing.

 A new bean Daviesia latifolia.  The net-veined leaves assisted the ID ...

 ...  as did the long racemes of flowers.

This one caused some difficulty as the flowers were well above the foliage which seemed to rule out Libertia paniculata.  However reference to the Flora of Victoria offered L. pulchella with taller stems.  It hasn't been reported from exactly this area  but is relatively nearby.  A member of the family Iridaceae.

Obviously a Tetratheca but it isn't clear which one as the leaves appeared to be alternate while most of the local suspects are whorled.

 The Exocarpos cupressiformis had got its Native Cherry act together.

Somehow I dragged the name Pandorea out of the vault and it turned out to be P. pandorana  or Wonga vine.

 I have failed in past efforts to photograph Glycine clandestina so here it is.  Note the tripartite leaves in te background.

 Comesperma volubile was common, in this case climbing up through a small Melaleuca armillaris.

This caused some difficulty but reference to iNaturalist offered a Myoporum as a suggestion.  Their first offering was endemic to NZ (!!!) but looking at the Flora provided M. insulare (Common Boobialla) as a believable ID.

 An Acacia well off the track was blowing in the wind but the location (in a gully) and overall form - especially the leaves - gave A. cognata.

 This one still has me puzzled.  Also iNaturalist, where the first suggestion is Angiosperm!  Yes, definitely not a pine, fern or fungus!

 Indigophera ausralis was common, although beginning to go over.

 These berries were in a sheltered spot and I have speculated about Eleaeocarpus reticulatus, seeking advice from a berry guru.  Thanks Janine Notelaea venosa (Large Mock Olive) it is.

 Some of the vegetation had adopted a more horizontal form.

 We heard quite a lot of bird calls but few were visible.  I was able to get this fuzzy snap of a Yellow-faced Honeyater,

 As we headed home on Lakeside Drive a nice little family of Australian Wood Ducks were graing.

All in all a most enjoyable outing.