ANPS does orchids, fungi and Lizards at Bango NR

I will offer the caution that this post includes about 30 images so beware of load times!  

The ANPS outing today was to Bango Nature Reserve about 12km North of Yass.  It is the patch of green under the 'ngo' of "Bango".  Our activities were in the NW element of the Reserve and thus out of the COG area of interest shown by the grid.

 This was a new area for the group, and myself having done a brief foray in the past I was a little worried that it wouldn't be too exciting.  I think I was wrong.

Not far into the Reserve we found a colony of greenhood orchids - perhaps 30 flowers.  They were put into the genus Diplodium fairly quickly and after much consulting of The Book a tentative ID of D.  fischii was arrived at.  This is rather late flowering (cited as February to May) but nothing else seemed to match.  Comments and alternatives welcome.  Tony Wood from the ACT orchid group has endorsed this ID commenting that "D. fischii with its tall flower, non bulging sinus and concealed labellum is quite distinct, although flowering somewhat late. "

 We had barely got over that when a colony of Acianthus collinus was discovered.  These matched the image in the book rather well and it flowers June to August, so spot on.

 The aim of this photo was the leaves so please ignore the out of focus flowers!

A little further on and your humble servant (OK I am no-one's servant and have never been accused of being humble) found another colony of Acianthus sp.  They are a very different colour to the first colony but

• the shape of the dorsal sepal is similarly 'humped'; and
• in yet another colony the flowers appeared to grade in colour between the two extremes

so we think they may just be a different form of A. collinus,  Comments and suggestions welcome.  Again, Tony Wood has endorsed the identification.

As I discussed with a member of the group - sorry, can't remember who, you're all excellent - there was an astonishing collection of fungi today.  Numbers of fruiting bodies were very high and the diversity was amazing.  I am having lotza issues re names so unless I have some clear ideas I have just put the images up for your enjoyment.  I may be able to get some help from mycologists!

The "found"truck mirror really earned its keep today!  The identification of the fungi which follow was largely provided by Graham Patterson and Tom May at Fungimap to whom many thanks are offered.

This first one is Dermocybe austroveneta - with a vernacular name of Green Skinhead: as the average Spurs supporter might say  "Yer got 'ny problem wif dat then?"

 This one Tremella foliacea appeared purely black but when the image was taken red tones became apparent.

The next is Gymnopilus allantopus. The veil remnants around the rim are characteristic.

There were masses of this species Cortinarius sinapicolor in the higher areas,  It was very slimy (which may, or may not, be an aid in ID).  In this image it has been infected by mould.

These are, as suggested by another reader (thanks Marco), Licenomphalia chromacea ( previously Omphalina).  They look rather different to my usual sightings of the species but I bow to more knowledgeable people!

 These are Earthstars (Geastrum triplex: I doubt if I will be able to do any better than that).  I couldn't but Graham and Tom did!  The thick cracking rays are the clue.

The next one looks most like Macrolepiota procera - especially the dark umbo (pointy bit in the middle) - but that grows with exotic trees, and there were none of those in the area.  Given that the substrate wasn't correct, and after looking at Fungi Down Under I now wonder if this was not Coprinus comatus.  A reader has commented by email that by the time C. comatus had got to this stage black gills would be visible, so I think we strike that. Help!  Ask and ye shall receive!  Fungimap advises Macrolepiota clelandii!

Perhaps Podoscypha petaloides?  Confirmed

Fuhrer delivers on the next one.  It is an ascomycete, Chlorocibaria sp.  Confirmed.

OK so we get to Lizards.  Specifically to Shingelbacks (Trachydosaurus rugosus).  We saw 3 of these today and all were intrigued what they were doing out and about in these temperatures.  The first one might have been warmed by its accommodation ...

 .. but this was a baby and should surely have been hibernating,

 Here we have a very big specimen: possibly a gravid female.

 Someone asked what colour their tongue was.  After a stroke of its back, the answer was clearly "blue"!

My new reptile book notes that they can give a painful bite!

 There were a few flowering dicotyledons around as well.  Here is Gonocarpus sp,

 Hibbertia obtusifolia

 and Acacia ulicifolia

 Why has this area not been cleared?  I think Roger nailed it as we drove up.  It is very rocky!

To some extent this trip was a bit like the Ascent of Rumdoodle.  The group did scale the peak but it was the wrong one!  I took the chance to correct this by visiting the higher summit while others socialised over lunch.  I suspect the claim in the Management Plan that this is a cairn (ie a human assisted pile of rocks) is a tad dubious: that top rock would weigh a motza.

At various spots there were bones of domestic stock.  I left these artistic rams horns in situ.

 At the top of the incorrect peak this blaze on a fallen tree indicated that a representative of the State (Colonial?) Government had been there at some time in the past!