ANPS goes to Iron Pot

I should point out this trip was to Iron Pot TSR (#34) just out of Berridale on the Jindabyne Rd.  It was rather a long trip (about 340km round trip) from Carwoola but even though we left early on, getting some work on our "town project" completed, it was a good outing.

After leaving Cooma we soon entered the granite country  in which most of the eucalypts appeared to be dead, or at least extremely unwell.

 At first glance this looked like fire damage but there was no evidence of burning on fence posts and other species appeared OK.  It seems that die-back is the issue, with a little epicormic growth suggesting a few trees are recovering.

Into the TSR and I will begin with the Fabaceae - the BEAN (or possibly Vetch -as the genus is now Vicia not Faba) family.  The first representative was  Mirbelia oxylobioides.

 This was in profusion in some places as reflected in this habitat shot.

Also easy to spot was this lurid Oxylobium alpestre.

 Bossiaea buxifolia

 Swainsona behrii

While we were present Donkey orchids (Diuris sp) were the only orchids seen.  I thought the first was sufficiently brown to be identified as D. pardina.  Rather late for that species I thought.

The next was clearly D. sulphurea.

 This one was IMHO D. semilinulata.

 In the lily area we found a large clump of Bulbine glauca

 They were just beginning to flower.

 While I normally resist photographing cow-fodder a fresh Themeda triandra flower is rather spectacular.

 The first dicotyledon flower I include is Veronica gracilis.

 Grevillea lanigera

I was taken with the colours of this eucalypt trunk.

 So now we move to invertebrates.  When we first arrived I was a little concerned that we were about to experience a BFD (Bad Fly Day)  However once we got into the bush the Diptera diminished and more interesting arthropods appeared.  

As always comments and corrections are welcome.  The first effort is a small white moth!

 This butterfly looks to be Neolucia agricola the Fringed Heath-blue.

 Here we have an up-close and head-on view of a Plague Soldier beetle.

Paropsis aegrota was very cooperative and didn't fall off the grass stem (probably having already fallen of a eucalypt to get there).

These larvae emulated seals on a rock.

A  beetle, possibly a Clerid.  I like the yellow tips to its antennae.

Now we find a spine!  The shape of the ears suggests this is an Alpaca rather than a Llama.  A new type of feral beast!

After leaving the group we 'officially' visited Berridale and Cooma and they get a separate post.