An interesting afternoon along the clifftops and beaches

This afternoon we did one of our regular walks along the Betka River, to the clifftops to Point Difficult and back to Betka Beach.  Much of interest.

The stretch along the River was notable for the continuing array of orchids in the (DNA-regulated) genus Pterostylis.  We found 4 species today

  1. P. grandiflora - pretty much finished;
  2. P. tunstallii, also used;
  3. P. nutans - still good numbers and some emerging; and 
  4. P. concinna - still good numbers visible.
We looked out from Point Difficult and saw no cetaceans nor pelagic birds but a White-bellied Sea Eagle was good compensation.  One of our bogies in this area in trying to identify this plant.  A search of Flora of Victoria suggests Lasiopetallum macrophyllum.  I have put these images on iNaturalist to see what they think.


 A little further along we found that the P. melagramma had finally started to open its buds.

 A tiny spider making a web in an unknown inflorescence.  iNaturalist has been consulted for the ID.
Leucopogon parviflorus: correct habitat and the florus was definitely parvi!  The leaves also fitted the description.
 I like the way someone is decorating the cliffs with these flat pebbles.

 Senecio pinnatifolius: so much nicer than "groundsel" which I will always think of as a grotty weed in our UK garden.
 Big rocks in the sunlight.
 An Acianthus exsertus leaf with emerging bud.  There were lots on the clifftop path.
 The only flowers we could find were well used, but enough to ID the species.
 I liked the shapes and colours of the moss and the banksia cone.

 2 spiffy Caspian Terns and som Silver Gulls.
 This large ship was looking to invade.
 Turns out from AIS ship tracker it is HMAS Melbourne.  The Community News FB page reports it sent in a Zodiac to pick up 3 folk.  Possibly also some beer?
As we turned in to Angophora Drive a bike was laid over on the verge and a car stopped in the middle of the road.  Looked ugly for a while but turned out the car was driven by the mother of the bike rider who was riding home from school when a koala ran across in front of him.  Kids and Mum - and us - enjoyed the Koala who had scrambled up the nearest tree (a wattle, so only a temporary abode.






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