Orchids at Heathcote corner of Royal NP

The Royal National Park is so large that it is extremely varied with its "treasures". A fellow Orchid enthusiast offered to show me a few places he knows about - just on the edge of the Royal, at Heathcote. Thanks Tony. My photos are not a patch on Tony's, unfortunately.

We started with a small patch of open grassland, beside a track, within walking distance of the Heathcote Railway Station.

Glossodia minor - an early flowering spring Orchid

Here is a Diuris we found flowering - the one and only.
The first Diuris I have seen this year.

Diuris maculata - the Spotted Double-tailed Orchid

Side view of Diuris maculata
the lateral sepals on this species
bend backwards under the flower

From the rear view,
the "ears" of Diuris maculata
show a series of small brown streaks or spots.

We then left that area, and drove to the strangely named "Bottle Forest", just a few kilometres away.

We saw a number of leaves (only) of Pyrorchis nigricans but literally hundreds of leaves of Acianthus species and Corybas/Corysanthes Orchids. Then Tony took me to a place where he knew we could find the dainty Mayfly Orchid, Nemacianthus caudatus We only found one of these tiny flowers, but hey, that's enough to show you why it earns the name of Mayfly Orchid.

Leaf of Pyrorchis nigricans
Note the red margins of the leaf.
These plants are named for
their propensity to flower
the year after the area where they live being burnt.
Clearly not flowering in this area, not this year.

A nice set of fresh leaves of
Pyrorchis nigricans

The dainty Mayfly Orchid,
Nemacianthus caudatus
This Orchid is clearly related to
the more common Acianthus Orchids.

This photo is here to show
how hard these plants are to see
amongst the leaf litter on the forest floor..
Look for the flowers silhouetted
against a dead Gum Leaf.
Nemacianthus caudatus

Ulladulla springs to life.

For many months, since reading Benj Whitworth's postings on the Canberra Ornithologists Group forum about the joys of discovering the plants and birds of Ulladulla, I have wanted to explore the Reserves there. 

My friend Kirsten, who grew up in that area, kindly showed me around several of the Reserves there, yesterday.

There are several excellent Reserves at Ulladulla (on the coast 45 minutes driving time, south from Nowra).

Having done a considerable circuit at the Wildflower Reserve, we adjourned (via the excellent Hayden's Pies) to the South Pacific Heathland Reserve, This is just along Dowling Street, behind the Ex-Servicemen's Club which is on the Pacific Highway, on the southern end of Ulladulla. (see linked map for both Reserve locations)

The first place we visited is known as the Wildflower Reserve. At first it seemed to be a fairly uninviting patch of coastal forest. Kirsten will kill me for that comment. But there were many interesting plants there, especially leaves of Acianthus, Corybas and the related Nemacianthus - all tiny Ground Orchids -   (upon close examination of the forest floor). 
We saw lots of birds, most especially a mixed feeding flock of Silvereyes, Brown Thornbills and Wrens, with Pardalotes and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters in the canopy above, in the Wildflower Reserve.

Kirsten photographing a very thin-leaved Acacia.

It is possibly Acacia elongata (but I am no Acacia expert)

Acacia elongata (possibly)

Click to see the ribbed stems and 3 flowers coming from each leaf axil.
That species (A. elongata) looks right to me.

Compare this image from the Bega Valley area.

Sprays of Comesperma volubile were draped over many shrubs

 This was an unexpected bonus.
Waxlip Orchid - Glossodia major

Glossodia major just opening up.

Believe it or not, this was what I had been hoping to see.

Well, hopefully a fresh flower - but this dried flower is still identifiable

because of the long filamentous tips on the sepals.

It is the Mayfly Orchid, Nemacianthus caudatus

Long filamentous tips on the sepals of Nemacianthius caudatus are still evident.

One of the identifying features, apart from the long sepals,

is the brilliant red underleaf.

Underleaf of Nemacianthus caudatus

But there were hundreds of birds in the South Pacific Heathland Reserve too.

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos.

They love the Casuarinas and Banksias in the Heathland Reserve .

Head of Black Cockatoo seen on top of low Casuarina bushes

New Holland Honeyeaters (3) in Casuarina above Grevillea bush.

And now to some of the more obvious flowers

from the wonderful South Pacific Heathland Reserve.

These Correa reflexa plants were prominent in this Reserve.

The flowers were very fat (I think so anyway).

Possibly Correa reflexa var speciosa?

This is the very pretty (but small) flower of Eucalyptus sieberi

It is known as the Silver-top Ash.

Pimelea linifolia

A young flower head of the NSW Waratah (Telopea speciosissima)

Telopea speciosissima

 The sweet honey-smell of the Wedding Bush 

was almost overwhelming in places where these plants were growing.

Ricinocarpos pinifolius

Further to our finding the large Waxlip Orchid in the first reserve

in a moss bed in the Heathland Reserve we found a colony of

the Small Waxlip Orchid Glossodia minor 

Click on the image to see the diagnostic dark double "calli"

on the labellum.

Here is a loose colony

on a moss bed.

If you expand the image (click)

you will see the flat hairy leaves of these plants.

Glossodia minor in a moss bed

Here is a local favourite at Ulladulla - the rare Grevillea macleayana

It was previously known as Grevillea barklyana subsp. macleayana

It is referred to by PlantNET as the Jervis Bay Grevillea.

It has the classic "Toothbrush Grevillea" flower structure.

 

Grevillea macleayana

Probably my favourite image of Grevillea macleayana. 

It shows why it is so popular with the local Honeyeaters and Wattlebirds.

There is a lrge bead of nectar which has leaked out from the flower.

It shows how rich these plants are in nectar.

A bead of nectar visible in the flower of Grevillea macleayana

Here is one of the surprises of our trip

Lyperanthus suaveolens  - the so-called "Brown Beaks" Orchid.

Close-up of Lyperanthus suaveolens

Full stem of Lyperanthus suaveolens

Pigeonhouse Mountain

Whenever I glimpse this mountain (always in the distance)

I am reminded that it was named by Captain James Cook in 1770.

A symbol of our earliest European conquest (and place naming).

My good friend James, believe it ought be called Nipple Mountain.

I wrote that before I checked for the Aboriginal name.
"Didhol or Dithol" which means 
Woman's Breast on account
of the distinctive shape of the mountain. 
(according to Wikipedia)

Pigeonhouse Mountain in the distant hinterland behind Ulladulla.