ANPS, Falls, into Punchbowl Swamp

Please note the commas in that title.  It should be read as meaning that the post is about ANPS visiting (Gibraltar) Falls and going into Punchbowl Swamp.  No-one face-planted in a montane bog!  This is as close as anyone got to that situation:

If you've got wellies, use 'em!

Staying with the wet side of things, we did start off with a short, pre-morning-tea stroll to look at the Falls which, as far as we could work out, are the only significant falls in the ACT.  (Don't panic: there will some flower pix soon.)

This is from the Creek leading into the Falls.

A view of about half the height of the Falls.

A snazzy bit of detail.

To the plants.  These are the nuts of Leptospermum myrtifolium which was very evident in the swamp.

A flower of same: there weren't many blossoms around.

Closely related Baeckea utilis.

Once we got to the main part of Punchbowl Swamp some patches of water - mainly in tyre tracks left by hoons - were evident.  A particular delight was the flowers and leaves of Nymphoides montana.

A close up of the flower.

Also in the water was Isotoma fluviatalis.  I am fascinated by the ripples/reflections.

This is Velleia montana.  It could also be V. scrawnii

The trunks of Eucalyptus stellulata are always worth a look for pretty colours!

Spiranthes alticola was evident in a number of spots.  The biggest cluster was back on Corin Rd opposite where we parked.

It was interesting that these two stems spiralled in opposite directions!

The only other 'live' orchid found today was Eriochilus magenteus or Parsons Bands.

To Fungi: I am afraid names are a bit lacking for the first couple.

As we got to a clump of pines Amanita muscaria became apparent.  This patch shows the development from a red rubber ball through the red disc covered with veil remnants to a decrepid orange disc.

This is a Parsley Fern (Botrychium australe).

Right at the beginning I got the only two bird snaps of the day.  Both are of Golden Whistlers - firstly a male of the subspecies confundus.

 .. and a few less blurry female.

Now there are a few insect snaps.  First up, one of the several clumps of Sawfly larvae.

A Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa sp.) found by Jo.  Roger advised that they bite: Jo already had proof of this from direct evidence - and her hand in which she was bringing it to confirm ID.

The Mountain Cricket (Acripeza reticulata): this first is a gravid female found by Roger.

I then found another female (note stubby wings) showing off its technicolour abdomen!

I think this is a Marbled Xenica.

There were lots of these moths - possibly a member of the sub-family Crambinae - out in the swamp

I initially thought this was a fly with red halteres, but the red bits are the wrong shape.  They are more likely to be mites.

This is a beetle - possibly a Chrysomelid leaf beetle.

As well as the above, when we emerged from the swamp Roger found a bunch of the small flies which have been forming the evening swarms at Carwoola.  They were low down on a Eucalypt (E. dalrympleana from memory) and some Lomandra underneath it.  They were very active and none of my photos added anything to this text.