ANPS NeverDies

Today we traveled in the general direction of Oallen Ford and then swung off to a private property a few klicks off the bitumen to a private property.  Many thanks Penny and Peter  for hosting us at your place.

The weather forecast for Windellama shown on MetEye looked pretty good, but I think it was in fact somewhat better being slightly warmer.

Once into the property we were on the sandy terrain familiar around this area.  This first image shows the general nature of the undergrowth  (and indeed overgrowth).

 Later in the day we got on to some dry granitic ridges with a somewhat sparser vegetation (but still with many goodies as will be revealed.  (At one point I looked across the Shoalhaven Valley and believe I could see a limestone cliff a la Bungonia so obviously a wealth of geology.)

When I say wealth I should mention the history of gold mining in the area.  This hand-dug shaft was at the extremity of our foray.

Getting to the important stuff first I some found some Diuris sulphurea.  The weathered areas on the 'ears' initially had me excited, but reality interceded.  There were many 'cleaner' samples seen later but I like the story.

 Moving along a track this beardie (Calochilis platychilus) was found and caused much excitement.

 After lunch Pete and i walked briskly to an area where other orchids had been seen.  Thanks to Pete's memory of landmarks we soon found a few more Beard orchids.

 As we staggered back to the track we found the horde had recognised the wisdom of our actions and followed us.  Amongst their finds was this beardie which I believe to be C. paludosus - comments welcome on this call.

 they also found a heap of Flying Diuck Orchids: Caleana major.

 Some of them were growing in the middle of the track!  Everyone had overlooked them!!

 I normally don't include "evidence" of orchids but this swollen ovary (ie a fertilised flower - thanks Denis) of a Thelymitra sp (Sun orchid) was close to a flower.  Somehow I overlooked taking a snap of an opening flower - shime, shime.

 It is a bit early in the year for Dipodium sp to be flowering but this one is well on the way!

 Ok folks lets do the dicts.  Quite a few Gompholobium minus were found.

 Also Leucopogon virgatus ..

 ... and a bit further out, L. attenuatus.

 This rather tatty Olearia viscidula was one of the few with flowers as most ...

 .. had already moved on to the seed head stage.

 There were many Wahlenbergia sp around, and I am not game to go beyond genus.

This is clearly a member of the Fabaceae (note avoidance of pea/bean controversy) but apparently there is debate about much more than that!  A suggestion exists of it being a strange form of Bossiaea riparia but further consultations are needed.  Nope it emerges that it is Acacia uncinata.

 Solanum sp.

 Mitrasacme polymorpha.

 The flower is Philotheca salsolifolia with bonus fly.

Going out on a limb I will rate this as a grasshopper.

There were a good number of birds around. I could hear a strange call but couldn't locate the bird inthe foliage.  As Peter pointed out, this was because it was a Jacky Winter sitting on a bare branch about 3m above the canopy.  Grrrrr.

I enjoy Kookaburras: unlike their close relative Sacred Kingfisher, which I  also heard today, they do hang around for a portrait

This is sort of "because I can" smartipants shot into the wing mirror of El Camion Real showing Frances returning a gate to the condition in which we found it..