ANPS considers the Lilies of Baroona Rd

Let me begin by thanking Jeremy and Sandra for hosting us this morning

I had thought of the above title based on past visits to their property and knowing that there are examples of Bulbine glauca to be found there.  (I have in the past used the phrase in a game of charades referring to a Lillee, Denis of that ilk. who did not follow the words of St Matthew (6:28) but toiled mightily in the field.)

To get to the start of the day we gathered at Michelago for final car pooling and there was a small amount of wailing about the appearance of the weather.  However the first sentence of the cited verse - And why take ye thought for raiment? - in the King James version, was appropriate by the time we started walking, with a beautiful fine day.  
The B. glauca did appear as hoped for.
 Its smaller relative B. bulbosa was present in good numbers .
Thysanotus patersonii, the Twining Fringe Lily was considered very carefully by our hosts: we managed to find several examples in various parts of the property.
 The final 'lily' I observed was Dianella revoluta.
 Others in the group found Arthropodium minus (Vanilla lily) and a few Wurmbea dioica (Late Nancies).

Sticking with monocots the first orchid found was an Onion Orchid, Microtis sp.
 In the field I had thought it was M. unifolia but looking at the shape of the labellum (smooth edges, the 'notch' isn't evident. and the apical calli are very small) on my computer screen I now think it is M. parvifolia.
One additional point of interest here was the way that some of of the Microtis were developing flower stems even though the leaves had been well grazed.  Jeremy suggested that most of the current grazing damage on the property was caused by feral deer rather than the usual suspects, Eastern Grey Kangaroos.

Diuris pardina was represented by one specimen, but further thinking and peering closely at the image has led me, on advice, to make a call of Diuris semilunulata.
Reflecting the march of the season, D sulphurea was present in good numbers in the higher, wooded areas.
 Only a single Petalochilus was found.  It was very pink and as the sides of the labellum are pretty much vertical I will be bold and call it P carneus.
 Quite a few buds of Thelymitra sp were evident, but they need a couple more warm days.
 Its bean time! Mirbelia oxylobioides kicks off the Fabaceae.
 Dillwynia sericea
 Moving to the right of the spectrum a few examples of Indigofera australis were found.
 In the grassy areas there were lots (sorry about the technical term) of Swainsona sericea. Here they are in various sorts and conditions.


 A grab-bag of other species follows, beginning with Stackhousia monogyna.
 A crinkled Goodenia pinnatifida
Brachyscome dentata: a single flower in close up ....
 ... and a couple of flowers also showing the leaves.
 Chrysocephalum semipapposum 
 Two specimens of Wahlenbergia sp.  I am intrigued by the differing shapes of the stigma - possibly just a matter of stage of development.

This Mirbelia gets the species a second suck of the sauce-stick by inviting a small red-abdomened bee for a meal.
I have searched for this and the closest match I have got is Ecnolagria grandis, the Brown Darkling Beetle.
Birds I am more comfortable with.  Two Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes posed obligingly in a dead tree.  Sandra wondered if they were nesting in the vicinity.

I have saved the best until last.  Thanks to a call from Cheryl (and a small amount of shutter-lag on my camera I was just able to catch this Striated Pardalote emerging from its nest hollow.

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