ANPS does Bullen Range

Actually, with no bull whatsoever,  it was a top day for weather and many interesting sights (and a range of  Pomaderris).  Thanks to Roger for discovering and checking the venue.  What follows is in order of snapping rather than thematic.

After a briefing on the plans for the day we crossed the mighty Paddy's River (with water levels that would match any SA River except the Murray) and headed to our first rare plant site.

This was the haunt of Bossiaea grayi.  Its only recorded at a few sites, but judging by the several squillion plants here will do OK in the right situation.

The right situation seems to involve a thoroughly degraded site close to a River!

Naerby, and much more colourful was Hibbertia calycina.

I have often included Astroloma humifusum in my images.  That is because it is a very pretty flower!

 Ditto Trametes versicolor, although it is a fungal fruiting body rather than a 'flower'.

 This is a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, which I hope will be no surprise to anyone!

I tried to get a photo of its pal, inspecting a tree hollow but it was uncooperative in the matter of being visible when I had the camera poised.

Here we have some Wattle tick scale (Cryptes baccatus) plus an ant doing what ants do with members of the suborder Sternorrhyncha.

 Views were promised, and delivered.  Some of us had a small amount of difficulty orienting ourselves WRT the metropolis (Canberra, since you asked) until looking around a tree revealed this.

 The slope to the left is Mt Stromlo.

Back to Fungi.  I found these on the underside of a fallen tree trunk, and have no idea what they are!

This is the biggest Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus) I have seen in the area.

This is not the biggest Phlebotus marginatus I have seen (the one last week was about 4 times the size, but that was growing in the soil around a creek not the fire-blast shale on Mt Bullen).

 Another view.  Cotter dam is filling!

 A bean: Hardenbergia violacea!  A little early, or very late!

A Wedgie passed by a few times, causing a few members to be worried that they looked like bunnies.  I refrain, with difficulty, from putting a link on that word.

There was no difficulty in refraining from walking up or down this former track!

Obviously some of the more socially (or environmentally or intellectually) challenged visitors to the area have had great difficulty in refraining from dumping their crap.

The nice people from Canberra Nature Park have obviously found the ACT Government has refrained from funding them to clear up the crap left by the other visitors.

Nearby, it was much nicer to find this dance site (lek) of a Lyrebird - they were evident calling down the slope near the Murrumbidgee.

Descending the track we found some more flowering beans, of which only the Dillwynnia sp. was really photogenic.

Getting really back down a lot of Lactaria deliciosius (Saffron Milk Caps) were encountered.

Despite past statements on the tastiness of the species, none of the gourmands present were game to sink their fangs into the proffered specimens.  Too old; too green were offered as excuses.

As expected a  Forester handled the course with aplomb including the return trip across the mighty Paddys River.

It was also no surprise that the representative of British engineering in the form of a Discovery made it.  I only include the photo to show what a smarty pants I am for taking a snap using my driving mirror!