ANPS does Chip'n'Dale

On this day we visited a private property called Chip'n'Dale on the way to The Flat.  On hearing the name several possible meanings sprang to mind:

1. a pair of cartoon chipmunks;
2. a group of entertainers (possibly should have some sort of advisory on that one);
3. an inner suburb of Sydney which in view of its proximity to Newtown I thought  - incorrectly  - might be linked to point 2);
4. an Historic Pom furniture maker.

In fact it is a combination of possibilities 1 and 4 with a further nuance.  The original owners name was Chippendale (as per point 4) but perhaps they liked the cartoon allusion which bought together the (wood)Chip and up hill and down Dale nature of the land.

Whatever, it was a great place.  The following images are organised as Orchids; Other flowers; Insects on flowers; Insects without flowers.  I didn't take a photo of any birds and the reptiles I saw were both small and very fast so they also dip out on a bit of fame!

The action started as soon as we got in the gate when a Microtis parviflora was found.  Note the lack of a terminal callus on the second shot.

We found at least two species of Stegostyla (with many many examples of each).  I believe this first one to be S. moschata ....

.. and the second to be S. cucullata.

A few Diuris semilunulata were found

and lots and lots of D. sulphurea.

Ros has commented on the height of some of the D. sulphurea, as shown by a comparison with my hat.

 

Other orchids seen, but not in flower included Calochilus platychilus (Wendy had taken a photograph of the flower which enabled identification); Dipodium sp; and a lot of uncooperative, in the flowering sense, Thelymitra sp.  Plus a good crop of rosettes in one area.

For some reason I didn't take many photographs of the Dicots.  OK, truth in advertising time: many of the photos I took turned out to be rubbish and have gone to the bit-bucket.  We start with Veronica perfoliata.

A miscellany including Stackhousia monogyna and Brachyscome spathulata.

Two forms of Ajuga australis growing side by each.

Now we move into insects and plants together.  Many thanks to Roger Farrow for supplying taxa for many of the insects.

First up a fly (family Sciaridae) on Olearia erubescens.  This fly family is difficult to identify further!

A fruit fly on an unopened Thelymitra;

An unknown insect of an Acacia leaf.  Roger thought it was probably eating something sugary (eg honeydew) on the leaf.

A Hoverfly on Clematis aristata.  The first image shows the flowers while the close up shows the green abdomen of the hoverfly.

We now move on to the straight insects.  My notes of names didn't line up too well with my other sources so Roger has enabled me to attach 'further and better particulars' for some of them. In the meantime enjoy the diversity of forms.

A dragonfly possibly Austrogomphus guerini.

A tiny bee!

I really have no idea about this one but suspect it is an ant.

Perhaps another advisory should be issued for these two images of moths (which look very like Grapevine moths Phalaenoides glycinae but are in fact Periscepta polystica)

A fly (possibly in the family Acroceridae?)

A case moth?

A wasp-mimicking longhorn beetle Enchoptera apicalis.