Some flowers of Mayfield and Nadgigomar Nature Reserve

The Wednesday walk for the ANPS (ACT branch) today was along various roads SE from Tarago NSW through the locality of Mayfield and ending (as far as this observer was concerned) at the NW section of Nadgigomar Nature Reserve.

The initial focus of the day was various locales where the genus Pomaderris were located.  After the last couple of weeks I am surprised there are only 70 species in this taxonomic group!  I didn't take any images early in the day since most of the plants seen were well covered by others (and I didn't have my camera with me when I spotted the Scarlet Robin's nest). 

At our morning tea spot I did take a snap of this attractive Brachyscome and, across Sandy Point Road, a great patch of Leucochrysum albicans albicans var tricolor (aka the Hoary Sunray).
Brachyscome rigidula
Leocochrysum: albicans note colours in the whorl and the bud in the background

Also Leucochrysum: note yellow and white forms
We then started to hit the serious Pomaderris outbreaks along Willow Park Road.  Life is too short for me to try to remember the many species seen but here are a few images along the road. I had said "As always, clicking on an image will give a larger version." but now find that doesn't work if a caption is applied.  This seems to be a naughty bug in Blogger: as usual an improvement in one area has caused a problem somewhere else and for future posts I will not use captions.  If anyone wants a larger copy of an image I can provide that.

Pomaderis sp (with a background of Hardenbergia violacea)

Pomaderris sp

Pomaderris ledifolia

"The hills are alive with the Pom a derris"
There were various other interesting species seen along this road.
Stypandra glauca

Hakea sericia

Leionema diosmeum
When we arrived at Nadgigomar Nature Reserve the first vegetative matter seen was a nice collection of orchids including Petachilus fuscata (see below) together with good numbers of specimens of Cyanicula caerulea and Glossodia major.  Before getting to the pink not-caladenias here is an image of a grass tree (Xanthorhea concava) just beginning to send up a flower head.

Here are three images related to the pink finger orchids.
A classic single image of Petachilus fuscata

If there was more than 1 per stalk it would be P, carneus: these are all on different stalks so are P. fuscata
If the dorsal sepal curled over towards the labellum this would be Stegastyla sp,  As it is, it is straight up so P. fuscata

An example of Stegostyla is at the end of http://franmart.blogspot.com/2010/10/yanununbeyan-flowers.html which clearly shows the curved sepal!

Comments

Denis Wilson said…
Nice report, Martin.
Good Orchids, I am pleased to note.
I visited Nadgigomar last year (well two of the isolated segments thereof).
Nice bush, but seriously degraded I felt.
But still, worth trying to protect as best the NPWS can do (with little funding).
I remember finding some rosettes of Greenhoods on a rock track leading to a hilltop in the most northerly section - the first we came to from Lake Bathurst.
The second part we visited was where the Shoalhaven runs through the park, due north from Braidwood.
That was a more varied and more interesting reserve.
The Pomaderris are certainly doing well.
Hard to sort the species, though.
Nice "fuscatas" (generic name optional).
There is considerable variation in their colour, isn't there?
Just to confuse us all.

Regards
Denis
7 October 2010 at 01:18:00 GMT+11
Flabmeister said…
Denis

Thanks for the kind words. I am adopting a policy of reporting my observations in NSW to the NSW Wildlife Atlas
(http://wildlifeatlas.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/about.jsp) rather than BA. Hopefully this will give the NPWS some ammo to fight for more funds, as well as assisting knowledge generally.

Martin
7 October 2010 at 07:03:00 GMT+11
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