Wasp and ant orchids in Berowra Valley NP : March 5 2025

Waking up feeling seriously unmotivated - the monster $38k loss from the trading mistake at the weekend is having me question, why bother? A week of promoting two good products that got maybe 30 clicks had me questioning more.

My investing coach always said - keep doing what is working and stop what is not. That time is coming

Taking a different approach to getting into the bush. Before the move and un our place down south, I would get on the bike. With strike action almost daily, not happy doing the train-bike thing in case I have to ride home on crazy roads. Take the car for short trips. Today to walk an autumn orchids track in the rain forest

NSW coral heath flower

Seeking out two leaves opposed on the ground - chiloglottis orchids - soon

Large colony forming up - going to geliess these are chiloglottis formicifera for 2 months along

Saw a flowering orchid - this skink posed

Common ant orchid - close by - chiloglottis seminuda

Track drops down to cross Zigzag Creek- the lizard posed (on the way back too)

Changing of the guard photo - seeding bonnet orchid

Silver top mushroom - autumn is onnits way and it rained a bit

Lobelia - always a photo challenge as the flower is small and the white grabs the light

A few more chiloglottis seminuda on the way down

Stepped back photo showing the leaves - smooth edges

Part two of the mission - check on greenhoods - budding

One budding - sharp greenhood - an interesting spot - in one metre only are 30 plants - not up and not down

A staircase of mushrooms

Path opens out onto a bigger trail - Great North Walk goes right. Each time I walk this I get the urge to walk it in stages

Half way between Sydney Cove and Cowan. One leg would be close to 10 hours

Walked a bit of that leg - not done that before - works up into the dry scherophyll forest- good for summer orchids

Flowers change up here - hibbertia

Pine-leafed geebung

Even a few flannel flowers - a bit late

Autumn is mushroom time

Did find a bonnet orchid just closing up

Walk back produced more orchids on the low side of the hill. Will walk it with eyes the other side next time down

And a bonnet orchid fully open - cryptostylis erecta

Now for the chiloglottis orchid expo - different to the others - calli go further down the labellum

Slight change of angle - kind of thinking there is a semi-circle of calli just below midpoint of the labellum

Is it chiloglottis sylvestris?

This looks clearly different - pointed labellum and dark calli go further down to the point

Side on - probably chiloglottis diphylla

Mushroom opening out

Side by side up the hill

Calli are quite different - tighter and not as dark.

Closer to the one before and in the same colony

Spied the rosettes not far from the concrete path - greenhoods - four leaf rosette

ID time - two leaves opposed or rosette with leaves hiding

Chiloglottis seminuda. Definitely waking this track next time with eyes right to start

All the orchids were downhill - normally they are uphill

Greenhood budding - maybe different to the others - maybe nodding greenhood

A few leeches - no photos. One red bellied black snake seen too. No photos

A good walk - at least 4 orchids seen - maybe 5.

Skipped the idea to shop - too sweaty.

Had a strata meeting when I got home. Scrambled a quick dinner on bbq when our guest left.

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Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking

Height 183.0 cm		Weight 90.0 kg		Body Fat %
Waist cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm