Summer flowers along Kirkland Road, Kangaloon.

Here are some flowers from along Kirkland Road, Kangaloon.

Bauera rubioides
This is a naturally occurring "double" variety of this plant.
There are a  number of such plants with double flowers
growing in this area.
Normally the plants have single flowers.
(Meaning just a single row of petals,
and stamens in the centre.)
This plant appears to have staminodes, not normal stamens.

There is an open album on Facebook, which anyone can see.
You do not have to be a member of Facebook to see these photos.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152500210924829.1073741881.809229828&type=1&l=fd14d12c3c

Albino Magpie still going strong in Kangaloon

I wrote about this bird in January last year. Comments I received indicated that the bird was actually quite well known to the local residents of Kangaloon.

I have not seen it over the last year, until a week ago, I spotted a small white figure across the brown paddock where the grass has been sprayed prior to ploughing and planting - presumably in preparation for a new crop of Potatoes.

I saw it again today, as I drove down Kirkland Road, heading towards Tourist Road. It was on the far side fo the paddock.

Subsequently when I drove back up the road, the Albino Maggie had moved a lot closer.

Albino Magpie was now closer

A cropped image showing the bird quite clearly.

As albino birds are reputed to have a poor survival rate, I am publishing this to show this bird is still going strong.
It seems to always be on its own, despite the fact that the dairy and potato fields near by are well supplied with regular Magpies. Jill (one of the locals who commented last year) reported that this bird was very aggressive and in fact, seemed to chase regular Magpies away.

Kirkland Road "going off"

Today I went to check what is happening in Kangaloon (the Orchid capital of the Southern Highlands). At first I thought it was all a bit quiet - just a few Chiloglottis paired leaves amongst the grass and fallen leaves, and then some Corybas leaves, (alas, no signs of buds).

I crossed the road to the eastern side of the road verge (where I seldom find Orchids) and bingo - I was rewarded with some very nice specimens of the Cobra Greenhoods. 

Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

Same species as I found yesterday down on the Belmore Falls Road.

Seen from the rear,
to show the stylish lines of the flower
Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

Nice tall specimens (about 20 cm tall) 
and some quite dark ones. 
Very handsome flowers.

Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

Then as I was about to get back in the car I found this huge creamy topped Fungus. It had brown gills and a thick stem which had strongly coloured spore stains on it (as does a younger fungus beside the big one).

I knew that some of the Cortinarius genus have those kinds of indications - especially the strongly rusty-coloured spores. 

This was a huge cap, at least 25 cm in diameter. It was beside the road, but the area is a dense Eucalypt forest, typical Cortinarius habitat. This fits with the description of Cortinarius australiensis in Bruce Fuhrer's Field Guide to Australian Fungi. I was then able to cross-match with the Gallery of the Sydney Fungal Studies Group.

Cortinarius australiensis
note the rusty spore stains and thick stem
and the prominent "stem ring" (annulus)

Cortinarius australiensis
Mobile phone for scale

Cortinarius australiensis
Dark rusty spore everywhere

Cortinarius australiensis
It had a huge cap, more than 250mm wide
Fine gills in perfect arrangement.

Sorry but Blogger insists on showing this image vertically.
Please view by holding your head to the left.
Huge silvery-fawn cap - smooth.
Cortinarius australiensis

It is always damned good when the "sources" help confirm one's Fungus ID.

Common Splendid Ghost Moth (male)

I have previously posted about the female of this species - the Common Splendid Ghost Moth - Aenetus ligniveren.  

She looked totally different from this fellow - so much so that when I found this one, I knew I ought to recognise it, but could not. 

I had only ever seen pictures of the male, not the real thing. The female was brown with green patches on her wings.
This fellow was a lovely apple green with silver stripes across its wings, a silvery head, really large brown eyes. He was intent on hanging from stems of grasses and Lomandra leaves. The wings were held closed against the body, almost as a Fruit Bat does. A very strange wing position for a Moth.

Strangely, both encounters with this species were around the same time, and both involved Kirsten. The last one we a somewhat more personal encounter with Kirsten, as the female moth laid a clutch of eggs in Kirsten's hands, in the previous encounter.

On Sunday, we went down to Kirkland Road, looking for Orchids (of course). But as with all true Naturalists, anything and almost everything unusual is of interest to us both. Kirsten is more keen on insignificant herbs than I am, and especially grasses - but that is an on-going debate.  

Anyway, I spotted this handsome Moth hanging from a stem of Lomandra, initially. 

I suspect it was just warming itself up, 

perhaps having only recently emerged from its pupa.

Aenetus ligniveren - Kirsten lining the moth up for a close-up.

Common Splendid Ghost Moth - Aenetus ligniveren

 From above, you can see the silvery white head

the huge brown eyes.

The wings are wrapped around below the body.

with the leg in front of the eye, you can how hairy the legs are.

(Click to enlarge image).

Aenetus ligniveren - head on view of male

.

Male Aenetus ligniveren hanging from grass stem by one leg.

 Note how the hairs on the body 

have been brushed onto the eyes and face

of the Moth.

It has relatively small antennae, which actually surprises me.

But it matches this CSIRO specimen.

head view of male Aenetus ligniveren

A small forest of Potato Orchids.

This morning I showed my friend Kirsten a few plants of the Cinnamon Bells (Potato Orchid), Gastrodia sesamoides. These plants are regularly seen growing in the Robertson Nature Reserve, where they grow around the base of several huge old Pinus radiata trees. These particular plants are the only ground Orchids of which I know, growing in the Robertson Nature Reserve. (There are some epiphytic Orchids growing in there, but not very many).

I have written about these particular plants last year, with comments on how to tell this species from the other local species of Potato Orchid. The other species is known as the Tall Potato Orchid (Gastrodia procera).

I reported three weeks ago on finding them again this year.

This species is fairly consistent in flowering about 3 weeks later than the related species.

Cinnamon Bells, Gastrodia sesamoides

Gastrodia sesamoides growing in the Robertson Nature Reserve.

Gastrodia sesamoides - note how "chunky" the flower is.

note the plump bulb at "base" (top end) of Gastrodia sesamoides flower.

Anyway, I was keen to show these plants to Kirsten, as I had shown her the other species a few weeks ago. So much so that I even warned her of the risk of attack by Leeches, but "trust me, it will be worth it".

Several minutes later, Kirsten was not so sure.

The Leeches were coming out of the forest everywhere.

That is despite the fact that we had both sprayed 

our shoes, socks and ankles with Insect Repellant.

For the record, the Leeches were less than keen on the taste on our boots

and we both escaped without a "bite" - 

but only by repeatedly flicking them off our boots.

Note the orange stripe along the side of the Leech.

Two leeches on Kirsten's shoes at once.

As we left, Kirsten gave out one last squeak, 

as she found this Leech catching a lift on her Camera.
A pretty inventive way of getting to the target person.

It was only a small Leech, but a highly adventurous one.

Australian Land Leech - probably Gnatbobdellida libbata

***************

Anyway, Kirsten and I left Robertson, to go down the hill to Kangaloon.

As I was driving along I got a call from Kirsten telling me to turn around.

She would not tell me what it was she wanted me to see.

She had found a veritable forest of Potato Orchids.

The "Mother Lode" of Potato Orchids which Kirsten found.

This colony of Potato Orchids was so large that 

Kirsten spotted them while driving along the road.

Normally they are hard to see.

Here is a second group in this colony.

They were growing amongst a stand of "Brown Barrell" Eucalypts.

There is deep leaf litter here, which is important to note

as Potato Orchids grow in relation with fungi living in decomposing organic matter.

Note how dense this colony of Potato Orchids is.

These potato Orchids were very large, and strong growing

Perhaps the three inches (75 mm of rain)

in the last week helped boost them.

Some as yet unopened buds of Gastrodia sesamoides.

A particularly strong specimen, growing by itself, 

close to the rest of the colony of Potato Orchids.

A strong specimen of Gastrodia sesamoides

This plant was photographed from about 10 metres away.

I cannot exactly count how many flowers there are

but it seems to be about 25 opened flowers

with a further 10 buds yet to open.

Pretty impressive. 

PlantNET says 

this species normally 2 to 20 flowers.
I have never seen anything like as many flowers on a single stem.

Magnificent head of Gastrodia sesamoides

Even more Potato Orchids, growing at the base of Brown Barrels.

This surely is 

the Mother Lode of Potato Orchids 

in East Kangaloon.

Winter Orchids starting to flower in the Southern Highlands

Ask not when do particular Orchids flower - ask what is in flower where I am  now? In winter, it all depends on altitude and temperature.

In the cold Southern Highlands of NSW, there is always a hiatus between the flowering times of Orchids here and the flowering times of the same species of Orchids down on the coastal plain in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions (which are less than an hours driving time away). And there is also an intermediate area, along the side of the Illawarra Escarpment, namely half way up Macquarie Pass.

So, it is difficult to be dogmatic about flowering times for a particular species of Orchid (especially in winter). Basically, it depends on where you are looking.

For example, I have seen one (only) "Tall Greenhood" (Bunochilus longifolius) in flower at Gibraltar Falls (south from Nowra) in early April. Alan Stephenson showed the ANOS group many of this species in flower in the Shoalhaven in late May. But, by contrast this species has just started to flower here in the Highlands. They have been in flower for several weeks, half way up Macquarie Pass. They have just started along the Belmore Falls Road, and along Kirkland Road, Kangaloon.

Bunochilus longifolius - the "Tall Greenhood"

A related species, Bunochilus tunstallii, is also just starting to flower along the road to Belmore Falls. Sorry about the image quality - it was growing in a flooded creek bed and I didn't want to get wetter than I was already. The dark labellum is the diagnostic feature. I refuse to kneel in water to get a better shot.

Bad photo of Bunochilus tunstallii.

Similarly, the Nodding Greenhood (Pterostylis nutans) is just starting to flower along the edge of Kirkland Road, Kangaloon. They have been in flower since mid May at Thirlmere Lakes.

Pterostylis nutans - the "Nodding Greenhood"

The Rainforest Greenhood (Pterosylis hildae) has just started to flower in suitable patches (clearings and roadside edges) on Macquarie Pass.

The red backdrop is from a piece of bark - sorry about that.

Pterostylis hildae - the Rainforest Greenhood, on Macquarie Pass

For comparison, here is the closely related Pterostylis curta, the "Blunt Greenhood" with its characteristic twisted labellum. They have been in flower on the coast for several weeks, but just starting on Macquarie Pass.

Pterostylis curta - note the labellum twisted to the side.

The "Maroonhood" (Pterostylis pedunculata) is now in coming into flower along the coastal plain in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra. These images were taken at Blackbutt Forest Reserve, (in the Shellharbour Council area). with Kirsten, several days ago. I know where they grow up here on the Highlands, and there are no signs of flowers yet (up here).

Pterostylis pedunculata - front view

Pterostylis pedunculata - rear view - note the rounded "bottom"

At this stage, I say, roll on Spring for more Orchids to admire, puzzle over and to photograph.

A bulldozer of the Insect World

I have a certain fascination with Weevils. The large ones, such as this specimen, are easy to see, and relatively slow moving, so they are photographable. Just.

This one would walk relatively quickly from any leaf or branch on which I put it. So I resorted to putting it on my hand. Even then, it walked straight off the edge of my hand. I let it go, because it was so determined to escape.

 This is a Black Leaf-rolling Weevil

Black Leaf-rolling Weevil.

What surprised me about this specimen was that it lacked the long "nose" which I associate with Weevils. This Weevil has a double line of special reinforcing on the short "rostrum". It is clearly built for heavy-duty work. The antennae, come out from the "rostrum" in typical Weevil fashion. But the rostrum is very short, and heavy, with mouth parts very prominent.

Click to enlarge the head, rostrum and mouth parts.

Rostrum and mouth parts of Black Leaf-rolling Weevil

Here is a more usual Weevil, with a long rostrum.

I don't know exactly what the Weevil on today's story (in the first two photos) does with the leaves it apparently rolls, but it strikes me as being built like a virtual "bulldozer". That is especially true when comparing this heavy built insect with the Butterfly, from yesterday.

Fungi love the rain (as we know)

My new Blogging friend, Peter Welt, a mycologist (Fungi expert) from Chemnitz, Germany said just a few days ago, "Fungi love rain". How true.

Today, Robertson once again had more rain - heavy rain. I had to drive down to Tourist Road to feed a cat for a friend. As I drove down Kirkland Road I noticed several large fungi. Some were really obvious large white lumps in the long grass. These are seen at the end of this posting.

A more unusual fungus was growing out of the hard ground, immediately beside the bitumen road, where the road goes through tall Eucalypt forest. The cap of the Fungus was brownish grey in colour. There is a hint of pink in this specimen, perhaps made more obvious as the fungus was very wet, which made it almost translucent.

I believe this specimen is Amanita eucalypti. It matches the illustrations of that species on that site, and also in Bougher and Syme: "Fungi of South Australia". I cannot find any distribution map of that species. I know it was described in West Australia and is found in South Australia.The gills were slightly pinkish. The stalk was unusual in that it was narrower at the top than at the base, where the remains of the "volva" were clearly evident. There were some traces of the "veil" on the top of the cap of the fungus.The whole fungus was slippery, (it was totally wet, of course).
And it was noticeably heavy.

The stem shows the annulus (ring) and the "volva"
(that is the egg-like pouch from which the fruiting body emerges).

This image shows the greatest similarity to the illustrations on the web.

Here is the annulus, or what is left of it.

The gills do not run right through to the stem.
There is a slight separation around the stem, before the gills start.
The whole of the underside of this fungus has a pinkish tone
but the colour is very faint - quite different from the "field mushroom".

The edges of the gills

After I brought this fungus home, to try to get a "Spore Print"
the stem had snapped off cleanly from the cap.
This is the broken section of the stem.
It was not fibrous, but quite brittle.

On the relevant page on his Amanita website Dr. Rodham E. Tulloss states: "The volval limb is extraordinarily thick for a species of section Phalloideae and very much suggests the sort of limb one sees in section Amidella. On the other hand, the accompanying photograph does not clearly show either the termination of the stem within the bulb or a continuation of the stem beyond the point of attachment of the volva. The absence of a definitive indication that the stem is totally elongating and inserted within a thick volval sac supports the interpretation of Miller that the species should be placed in the Phalloideae. However, comparison of the protolog with recent photographs (shown on this page) indicate that revision of this species may be necessary." R. E. Tulloss.

***** ***** ***** ***** ******

Back to the "large white lumps" I had also seen as I drove down the road.

I collected several specimens on the way home. These were much lighter in "density" than the previous specimen. I say that, even though the mature one was totally soaked and was falling apart under its own weight.

These latter fungi were easily enough identified (well, down to a certain point) as Amanita farinacea. Trouble is, the taxonomist have been changing their minds, and perhaps the true name ought be Amanita ananaeceps (or is that A.ananiceps? (see note in item 49).Either way, these two specimens were soft, downy, but soggy Fungi. One was open, and already showing signs of moisture stress (falling apart under its own weight). The other was fresh, just starting to open. It was very "mealy" - the source of one of those names means "floury" (as if getting your hands covered in cooking flour).

The gills run through to the base of the stem, but not quite joining it.
But there is no gap around the stem, as with the previous species.

This Fungus had no strong smell (to my nose), but as soon as I took it to show my friend Joan Freere, she started to complain about its unusual smell, and she started to cough. I quickly took it outside her house.

This fungus had a very long stem,. some 18.5 cm long.
The cap was 12.5 cm wide.
There was no sign of the "volva", as I pulled the stem from the wet soil.
It is possible that I lost the volva - as I pulled these specimens.
If you look back to the image 2 above, you will see
that the unopened specimen has a bit of a swelling at the base of the stem.

I see no mention of an odour in any discussions of these fungi, but one cannot ignore the possibility of an allergic reaction, especially with such strong "chemical factories" as the genus Amanita (famous for the "Death's Cap Fungus"). It is interesting to note how different people can be, regarding sensitivity to certain odours and even to chemicals. I know enough about Fungi to take no chances with them.