Midge orchids - promise and flowering : January 11 2024

Another grey start and forecast for heaps of rain in the afternoon. Had promised an orchid mate to check up on a special orchid. Also wanted to check on midge orchids in my old hunting tracks. Do the drive and walks first and then drop back to storage to pick up stuff

First stop - Ku-ring Gai Wildflower Garden - purple fan flower

Hibbertia

Not sure what this purple flower is - saw them two days ago close to houses - maybe a garden escapee

Pine leafed geebung

Common hyacinth orchid - dipodium variegatum - known spot but a little lower down

Seeded form

Darker form - dipodium variegatum

Stepped back view

NSW coral heath flower

Bonnet orchid - cryptostylis erecta

Thus was the mission - are the brittle midge orchids open? Just forming - one of only two plants budding - genoplesium baueri - an endangered orchid with only a few sites known.

Summer is not normally mushroom time - just to prove the rule

A cluster to show the stages of opening - tight shape to break the surface

Once free the opening out begins

Another 30%

And then flattening begins. Will be big colour change going on underneath.

Headed out to walk Murrua Trail - mission - more midge orchids

Christmas bells still flowering

Bottle brush flowering

Seeded midge orchid

Qas intrigued by these wasps flying onto sandy nests in the ground. Going to guess the nests are made by ants

Now I do know these wasps prey on huntsman spiders - this one has captured one and dragged into the nest

Going back did find one budding midge orchid close to the first spot. No to find the open version

Did find one on the Murrua Trail a little higher than I have seen

Was a bit bright to know if the photos worked - pleased they did - fringed midge orchid

Corunastylis fimbriatus

Side on

Start of the summer flowers - pink wax flower

Almost always find these on this track. I call them tear-drop flowers. They do have 4 petals but only seem to show one

Grey spider grevillea. Good walk - it was hot and humid and sweaty. Did get stuff out of storage on the way back.

That got in use. Used the hedge trimmer to tidy up hedge for one of our neighbours - after a brain tumour surgery she cannot do it herself. Nice to help out

My wife went out for a meeting to discuss the body corporate politics. Made for a late choice to do bbq for dinner # lovely pork cutlet and chicken sausages from down South.

Trade action: Fixed KAP.IL oversold the day before. Adjusted PKX.
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Daily Activity, Gardening, House Chores, Photowalking