Once more to Captains Creek Fire Trail

 On 7 December we walked the Heathland Loop starting on Betka Rd and including the Chip track.  We were surprised at the amount of flowering shrubs in the bush.  So feeling like another walk on the 8th we decided to try the Captains Creek Firetrail.  This is our route:

At the start we were somewhat disappointed with the diversity of flowers: a lot of Scaevola ramosissima but not much else.

Our first interesting flowers were these bright yellow peas (I have given up my campaign to get them called 'beans').  I think they are Dillwynia glaberrima.

These fuzzy balls were common in the bush but we couldn't identify them.

Then we got to this specimen with a few flowers remaining and it was easy: Ricinicarpos pinifolius (Wedding Bush).

Once we got to the top of the steep hill (where the track turns away from Genoa Rd) we saw a lot of Caleana major (Large Flying Duck Orchids).  Colonies of 10 - 20 plants were frequent.

I have no idea what this was.  Certainly not Stackhousia!  INaturalist has been consulted.

Another doubtful specimen.  Obviously some form of tea tree and iNaturalist has suggested Kunzea ambigua, which seems reasonable.  Flowers first ...

.. and then the fruit.

This is clearly Stylidium sp. but it was very large. The flower stalk was nearly 1m long, rather than the 30 cm commonly encountered with S. graminifolium.  However I can't find anything else in the genus that matches.

Here is the whole plant.  Perhaps it is on steroids?

Another mystery, which iNaturalist has suggested to be Platysace lanceolata.  That certainly matches the image in Wildflowers of the Wilderness Coast.

It definitely wasn't Pimelea linifolia.

Then Frances made the discovery of the walk.  I guessed it was a tongue orchid and it turned out to be Cryptostylis leptochila (Small Tongue Orchid).  According to Bush Beauties it is quite common in this area and we found about 20 plants in the area.

INaturalist has suggested Aotus ericoides for this pea (life is easier when one doesn't have to adopt a missionary position about names).  I have no reason to argue that call.

A large ant exploring some fresh deer poop.  I note with interest the large nematode on the turd.

A medium sized grasshopper.  I have entered it to INaturalist for ID,