Genoa Rules!

On yesterday's Wednesday Walk mention was made of the delights of an area somewhat away from Mallacoota.  So we took ourselves off there with a few key targets in mind:

1. Diuris punctata;
2. Dendrobium striolatum; 
3. Gippsland Water Dragon:
4. Emus.

Our first stop was a track off the Highway.  This took us through some well developed heath to, and then along, the Creek.  The first interesting flower seen was this, which superficially looked like a Tetratheca sp.  However it seemed to have  6 petals ...

 ... and no black eye.  Suggestions welcome.

 The first of several lilies:  Sowerbia juncea.

 There was a good collection of Callistemon citrinus in this area.  It is rather unusual to find it growing wild.

 After a short loop, finding the main Genoa Creek Track closed off by The Authorities for some undisclosed reason, we headed back to the power lines.  Here we were greeted by a bonus flock of 5 White-throated Needletails: my first for the season.

Our first plant find there was a clump of pale Gompholobium huegellii.

 Back to lilies: Thelionema caespitosa

 There was a very good crop of this species!

 A small, so far unidentified, bean.

Target species 1!  Diuris punctata the purple donkey orchid.  This is apparently unusual in East Gippsland but was quite common here - not exactly weed, but I guess well 100 flowers seen in quite a small area.

This little enclosure was labelled as a Royal Botanic Gardens collection site for seed of a large Prasophyllum, which did not have a flower stalk evident.

 A very large (about 7cm long) and colourful beetle.  It seemed to be feeding on Fabaceae vegetation.  I tried to get a photo of the front end but it didn't oblige.  iNaturalist.org has obliged with Stigmodera macularia.

 A relatively small (about 25cm high) Prasophyllum.  I have sought advice on the species, but for the time being will take a punt on P. parviflorum.  Expert advice has now been provided: P. appendiculatum which is rated as rare in Victoria (but known from Genoa).

 Another lily which has resolved to Tricoryne elatior.

 This next one is a puzzle.  It was common over the site and unusual with the leaves open below the flowers and then tightly closed above them.  The nearest I could get was a heath Woollsia pungens but that seems to have a Southern limit at Pigeon House Mountain, approximately 250 kn North.  However exploring the Genus Epacris on Flora of Victoria has come up with E. lanuginosa as a pretty good match.  (Interestingly, the vernacular name offered was "Woolly Heath" - very close to Woollsia.) Other suggestions welcome.

 Another lily Thysanotus tuberosus.

 This is a true bug, suggested by iNaturalist.org as subfamily Coreinae.

 We then moved to the a rocky area.  Going down to the rocks there was a lot of this species.

 The above is the calyxes.  Here is what the flower looks like - which hasn't helped us ID it!  Help!

Frances remembered seeing this in the ACT so a reference to Don and Betty Woods' book soon provided the necessary help.  Calytrix tetragona (Common Fringe Myrtle).

Pretty much as soon as we looked around we could see clumps of Denrobium striolatum up on the rocks.  Target species 2!

 I climbed up to get a photo of the flower (the tiny pale object mid-left of the clump of foliage) but the light was horrible so that went nowhere.  Then I found other flowers lower down in better light.

 

That was pretty much the flowers here.  The granite (IMHO - it could be basalt)  was spectacular!

 There was a small flow of water: hint to self, go back when it has rained.

 Many ferns amongst the rocks.

 Target species 3!  Gippsland Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii.

 There were also basic skinks.  Again suggestions to get tis to genus/species welcome.

Target species 4!  As hoped a flock of emus (we got up to 14) were patrolling the pastures nearby.

 As we left to head home we noticed a flock of about 19 Straw-necked Ibis hanging around on the flats beside the Mallacoota Rd.  An unusual species in the area so yet another bonus.

All up an excellent outing, to an area added to our list of must revisit.