Christmas Bells

Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Odds and Sods in Kangaloon

Today was full of surprises for me as I shuffled around the quiet bushland in Kangaloon. I firstly found a green form of Chiloglottis seminuda. This is now the second green form of Chiloglottis which I have seen. Not rare, just unusual. Interesting anyway.
When I blew the images up to their maximum I could see many Aphids, with quite long antennae on this flower. I am used to finding spiders on Ground Orchids, but never Aphids before.

Then I found a most unusual peach-coloured Moth with wings held straight out like a "glider" plane. Very unusual. I have not yet checked the wonderful Moth reference pages available on the web. When I do, I hope to be able to tell you the species and family. From the front it also looked unusual. I was expecting the normal hairy head and body common to many moths. But instead it looked quite sleek, and very angular in the legs which were not at all hairy. Altogether a most unusual moth.I subsequently found that a group of Corybas aconitiflorus (Helmet Orchids) which I have been monitoring for three years has come into flower, just in time for tomorrow's NPA "Orchid Ramble". These plants are particularly interesting, as they are very small in flower size. Specimens of this colony are safely stored in the National Herbarium, collected at the request of the now retired Mr David Jones.And the Sods? Well, no surprises there. The SCA. I was warned off this area today, by one of their officers, despite the fact that there are no signs indicating that this area that I have been studying plants in for four years is apparently SCA land. Believe me I have asked who owned this land, previously, and was told that it is Crown Land. And now they are barring my entry.

Without any signs declaring it to be Special Area land, and prohibiting entry I think they have got a nerve.

I have been requested to send an email to Mr George Dodds, of the SCA Head Office. I have done that, and I await his reply.

1 comment:

Mosura said...

Hi - Your peach-coloured Moth with wings held straight out like a "glider" plane is known as the Twisted Moth. - Circopetes obtusata. The name Twisted Moth refers to the way the abdomen is often twisted to one side as can be seen in your photo. I tried send this coment last night but I think I mucked it up somehow so I hope I have not sent it twice.

Cheers

Alan