Weddin Mountains and Conimbla National Park

This is my second trip this spring to see the orchids which grow in profusion at these small, rocky outcrops west from Grenfell and north-west from Cowra.
These are in the central-west of NSW.

It is a long drive from Robertson, but the plants there make it worthwhile doing the drive.

A Green-comb Spider Orchid
Possibly Arachnorchis atrovespa
Originally known as Caladenia atrovespa.
PlantNET is down or I would link to that site.

Stegostyla cucullata - a lovely flower

A close-up of the labellum of Stegostyla cucullata

Hymenochilus bicolor
One of the Midget Greenhood Orchids
Originally called Pterostylis bicolor

This is an interesting encounter - an insect on the Spider Orchid. As far as I can tell it is not pollinating the Orchid, not is it feeding on the Orchid. It may well be attracted by colour, shape or possibly perfume. Either way, it was sitting there, so I took its photo.

Insect on Spider Orchid
Possibly a Mirid Bug.

It is likely to be a Mirid Bug, of which there is a large population in Australia.


I have uploaded a full set of photos on Picasa.
https://picasaweb.google.com/113268294402913437731/WeddingMtnsAndConimblaNatnLPark15Oct2012

This album is fully public.
There are some photos of other plants to start with to set the scene, and a Bearded Dragon for variety.

The first trip is recorded in an earlier Picasa Album - also fully public.

Better views of new Orchids (for me)

I know I sound like a train spotter, but it is always good to find 5 Orchid species one has never seen before - all on the one weekend. The Central West of NSW is going off at present - well, at least the rocky bits.

The non-rocky bits are mostly being farmed very intensively, with canola fields of golden yellow and wheat crops of dark green just about everywhere from Young to West Wyalong, and back to Temora, Grenfell and Cowra.

Weddin Mountains seen across a field of Canola.

And for the Nature Lovers
A very find Swamp Wallaby
a big male, on Weddin Mountains trail.

At West Wyalong this paddock is not being cultivated.
But it is full of colour.
Low clumping wattle bushes.
Not yet sure of the species.
Very beautiful though.

An amazing weekend away.

Here are the new species and several nice ones, but not exactly "new" to me - with better images than on the Picasa site. That's simply a question of available time. 

Bunochilus macrosepalus
Broad-sepalled Leafy Greenhood
at Conimbla National Park

side view of Bunochilus macrosepalus
Broad-sepalled Leafy Greenhood

Bunochilus macrosepalus
Broad-sepalled Leafy Greenhood
with labellum in closed (triggered) position

Bunochilus macrosepalus
Broad-sepalled Leafy Greenhood
Close-up of labellum.
Very different in details from
my regular local plant Bun. longifolius

Bunochilus stenosepalus
Narrow-sepalled Leafy Greenhood.
Green labellum
Very narrow lateral sepals
(that is the flap below the labellum)

Side view of Bunochilus stenosepalus
Narrow-sepalled Leafy Greenhood.
Green labellum

Bunochilus stenosepalus
Narrow-sepalled Leafy Greenhood.
Close-up of green labellum

Diuris goonooensis
Western Doubletailed Orchid
A very variable species
This one has much red on the labellum
and lacks the wide lateral lobes either side of the labellum
Compare with the next two examples.

Diuris goonooensis
Western Doubletailed Orchid
A very variable species
This one has very  wide lateral lobes
either side of the labellum

Diuris goonooensis
Western Doubletailed Orchid
A very variable species
This one has neat lateral lobes
either side of the labellum

Diuris goonooensis
Western Doubletailed Orchid
A very variable species
Seen from the side, to show the crossed "legs"

(They are "Lateral Sepals" technically)

Cyanicula caerulea
"Blue Fingers"

Cyanicula caerulea
"Blue Fingers"
Side view of this lovely Orchid.
There were hundreds of them at Holy Camp trail
Weddin Mountains

Hymenochilus muticus
one of several species of Midget Greenhood
These were growing on a dry mullock heap
on exposed gravel in an abandoned gold mine.
They were a mere 100 mm (4 inches) high.
It is related to Hymenochilus bicolor
which grows in very different country, at Albion Park.

Linguella clavigera
Hairy Snail Orchid
This tiny Greenhood was also growing
on the old gold diggings>
But I also saw it at Weddin Mtns, Conimbla
and between Cowra and Crookwell (at Bigga)

A terrible photo,
but it was the only Spider Orchid I found
Possibly Arachnorchis phaeoclavia

Weddin Mountains and Conimbla National Parks

As with my post about the Birds of Charcoal Tank, yesterday, I am using a Photo Sharing site to display photos in an easily used form.
All photos are named, as best I can manage.
There are some explanatory notes in the Comments section below any photos I felt needed further details explained.
https://picasaweb.google.com/113268294402913437731/WeddinMtnsAndConimbla

These plants were found on the way back from West Wyalong to Robertson.
Firstly I went via Temora, and then tracked across towards Grenfell. The first spot I tried was interesting - with two species I had not seen before. This was a stony ridge beside the road. Turns out it was almost certainly an old gold mine. This area was about 20 km north-east from Temora, on the Grenfell road (from Temora). Harsh stony terrain, with a narrow band of Callitris pines beside a fence-line, on top of a low ridge.

I found the tiny Midget Greenhoods here. They were very small indeed. Small flowers on short stems about 100 mm high (about 4 inches) only.
 

Hymenochilus muticus
One of the so-called Midget Greenhoods

I also found the equally small Hairy Snail Orchid, which is now called Linguella clavigera. 

Linguella clavigera
Hairy Snail Orchid

That name is not recognised by PlantNET, but it is only one of many such deficiencies in their listings. It is in a group originally known as Pterostylis nana.The name is recognised and the plants photographed by my colleagues Colin and Mischa Rowan.

I then went to Weddin Mountains National Park, about 15 Km north-west from Grenfell. This is a link to the NPWS website for Weddin Mtns NP - notes on the geology.
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkGeology.aspx?id=N0036
I went to Holy Camp Road car park, and started to walk up the hill towards Peregrine Lookout. I never got there, as I ran out of time, energy and battery power in my camera flash (not necessarily in that order). I did manage to find one of the group of  "Green Comb Spider Orchids" (as described by David Jones. The name is not definite, but it is possibly Arachnorchis phaeoclavia, but Ar. tentaculata is another possibility. I hope to get back there in a few weeks, to find more of these plants in flower, and to check out the plants in fine detail, and to take decent photographs. I wish to thank Tony Rodgers for telling me where to go and look for these plants.

Arachnorchis phaeoclavia (possibly)
one of the so-called Green-comb Spider Orchids

The next morning, still acting on Tony's recommendations, I went to Conimbla National Park, looking for more Orchids.
 
Conimbla National Park - vegetation notes.
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkVegetation.aspx?id=N0053
I managed to find two different Leafy Greenhoods - relatives of my local Bunochilus longifolius. But one had a very broad set of lateral sepals - the flaps which hang below the protruding labellum. The other, by contrast, had a extremely narrow lateral sepals and a green labellum. I have not seen either species previously.

One Orchid which I found in all three of these localities is the Western Doubletail Orchid, Diuris goonooensis.

Anyway, if you don't mind using the Photo Album system, for large numbers of photos such as these, I think this system works best for the reader/viewer. However, I will revert to normal blogging format in the near future. 
Once again, here is the link to today's album of Orchids and several other non-Orchids.
https://picasaweb.google.com/113268294402913437731/WeddinMtnsAndConimbla