Mt Tennent: images to the Cypress Lookout

Today the ANPS Wednesday Walkers went to the Cypress Lookout, about halfway up Mt Tennent in Namadgi National Park. It was a splendid outing with masses of flowers including a good range of orchids.  I will start with a view from the Lookout.  Please note this is the ACT, not Ireland!
We have a basic rule when travelling that anywhere with a lot of green vegetation generally gets a lot of rain.  That has certainly been the case in the ACT this year and it was also reflected in the water running down a Creek near the Lookout.  I mucked about a bit trying to get some arty images: here are a couple of them.

I guess the orchid fanciers will be wondering when I am going to get to the important stuff.  I haven't shown here the species of which I have put images from our own block, but here we go, starting with a couple of images of Thelymitra sp.

Next up we have a Spider orchid (Arachnorchis atrovespa I think).
Right near the Lookout a 'rustyhood' was found.  I will make a call on this being Oligochilochaetus hamatus.
For those with a strong stomach, here is a photograph (taken by Frances) of me taking the above photograph!


For other plants I will start with a view of a patch of Micromyrtis ciliata with some Pomaderris angustifolia in the background.
Here is a closer shot of the Micromyrtis with some (intentionally and thus artistically) out of focus Stypandra glauca in the background.
Micromyrtis was also popular with a butterfly - possibly the Common Grass Blue ( Zizina labradus).  Photo by Frances.



Giving Stypandra a better suck of the sauce bottle (and a plant that pretty deserves a fair slurp) here are:
  • a close up of that species; and 
  • another image with that in front of the pandemic Pomaderris.

My final plant image is of a Eucalypt flower.  I suspect this is E. dives, but as usual there was some fair discussion of just what species it was.  I don't greatly mind: I just think they are fabulous flowers when looked at closely.
The final image is looking up at Mt Tennent from the rocks close to the Lookout.
 Despite the foregoing evidence to the contrary, my main role on these walks is to record the birds seen. I recorded 46 species today which is a rather good haul.  Another observer (Matthew) was also present, but started a bit earlier than me so had 42 species before I arrived.  I would guess his list would have been well over 50 by the end of the walk.

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