Christmas Bells arrive early at Barren Grounds

One of my Facebook friends, Caroline, asked me for some "Pretties" yesterday. So I promised to show her these wonderful Christmas Bells which I found at the Barren Grounds yesterday.

These Christmas Bells are the species Blandfordia nobilis.

I was pleased to be able to show these plants to my friend Pi-Wei, on a brief, late afternoon excursion. This gave her a chance to see some of the local plants in flower in nature, as distinct from in botanical artworks on her walls in the Gallery. There is a certain vibrancy in Nature which is impossible to capture in art (no matter how fine it may be), or photography - try as we might.

Christmas Bells Blandfordia nobilis

Close-up view of Blandfordia nobilis

Christmas Bells in situ - wet heath at the Barren Grounds

The habitat will also seem familiar habitat for Mick, as it is as close as we get to the "Wallum" habitat in her part of the world. Except that our wet heathland is on top of the Escarpment, at 600 metres. But it is a very high rainfall area, over a sandstone plateau. The Queensland "Wallum" country is, I believe, typically, coastal heathlands.

 This shot shows the range of micro-habitats here.

There is Epacris heaths in the foreground,

A large clump of Banksia ericifolia in mid-ground

then "Button Grass in the gully, then

as the soil rises in the distance, Eucalypts start, 

where the soil gets better drainage.

Habitat shot of wet heathland at Barren Grounds

Thelionema umbellatum - the Lemon Flax Lily

This is one of the prolific Boronias which flower at the Barren Grounds

and nearby Budderoo Plateau.

Boronia barkeriana

This one is a wet heath specialist.

Boronia thujona is found over shallow rock beds in the Barren Grounds.

It grows quite tall, (twice as tall as this plant)

and has pinnate leaves, 
which have a strong pungent odour when crushed.

Boronia barkeriana

  The lovely Round Leaf Tea Tree Leptospermum rotundifolium

This plant has large, soft pink flowers.
Very common on the sandstone heathlands and a prolific flowerer.

One of the loveliest plants on the heathlands.

Leptospermum rotundifolium

 This is the Pink Swamp Heath, Sprengelia incarnata

Sprengelia incarnata

And finally, to show one of my own favourite cultivated (garden) plants, the lovely "Duchesse de Nemours" herbaceous Peony. It is a Paeonia lactiflora variety. It has an exquisite scent.

White Peony - Duchesse de Nemours - a sweetly perfumed flower

I hope that there are enough "Pretties" for Caroline in this posting.

Flying Duck Orchids at Meryla Pass

Several days ago I went down the Meryla Pass road, in the Meryla State Forest. I stopped when I got to the Morton National Park - simply because I was going to run out of time and light, if I had kept going. It is great country. However, I did take a single shot of the spectacular Bluff opposite Meryla Pass. You can see why this country is regarded as "Blue Mountains" habitat, albeit lower and further south. Still sandstone, and still spectacular.

This Bluff must be close to the end of "Red Hills Road",
near Fitzroy Falls.
It is overlooking part of the Morton National Park,
with the Shoalhaven River Gorge beyond it.
This country, which I am yearning to access
is inaccessible to most human beings.
Indeed, even the road I was on (which is accessible)
leads to a locked gate.
That is the start of the Northern Section of the Ettrema
Wilderness Area.

The road to Meryla Pass leaves the Nowra Road (the road from Moss Vale to Fitzroy Falls and down through Kangaroo Valley and on to Nowra). There is a small sign saying Meryla Road, and Manchester Square. The first 5 Km take you down a winding road, dropping off the fertile red basalt soil farmlands of Avoca and Werai districts, down into the moist rich farm lands of "Manchester Square". (A most unlikely name for a farming district in Australia - but that's what the district is called. There is no township, just a "locality").

Passing on from Manchester Square two things happen, you leave the bitumen and you enter the Meryla State Forest. You have also driven down onto the Sandstone. That's what I am interested, for its rich flora and fauna habitat.

Nothing says "Classic Sandstone Flora" to me
more than Boronia bushes.

Boronia thujona - close up.
(Edit: In retrospect, I realise the leaflets are smaller
and more rounded than B. thujona.
It may in fact be B. microphylla.)
B. thujona is very common at the Barren Grounds.
I have not identified B. microphylla previously.
These plants are growing just on top of rocky outcrops.We are overtopping Bundanoon Creek,
on a small sandstone outcrop.

This is what the small rocky outcrop looks like.
Another of the "typical" shrubs here is the large-flowered pink
Tea-tree - Leptospermum rotundifolium.

Here is a close-up shot of the lovely "Round-leaved Tea-tree"
While I was there, I saw this male Gang-gang Cockatoo
"watching me, watching him".
Click to get a better view of him.
And here are the Flying Duck Orchids (Caleana major)
A veritable flock of them.
They are relatively tall (30 cm on average).
But small flowqers, on thin stems, so at first glance they look
more like a swarm of flying insects than Flying Ducks.
Here is another view.
Two flowers on a single stem (which is a common arrangement).
Now you can see how they earn their name.
Another view.
The bud on top is just unfurling.
the top parts will fold back, as wings.
The lower section, which is green, will turn red
as the flower matures, becoming the "body" of the Flying Duck.
The "head" is the "labellum" of the Orchid,
which at this stage is still inside the flower.
Now we come to the "pointy end" of the story.
The top flower is fully open.
The second (lower) flower has been triggered by an insect
(or stray movement).
The "head" (labellum) snaps shut over the body (column)
hopefully trapping any stray insect inside until it
collects a dob of sticky pollinia on its head or back
(or deposits one from another plant)
thus achieving pollination.
On the lower flower
The head is completely folded down over the Duck's "stomach".
(Click to see it better.)
Here is the "head" and the all important "neck".
The "lamina" (neck) is flexible
and when triggered by the sensation of movement in the flower
the "lamina" snaps shut.
The head bends right down,
closing off the previously open "body" of the flower.
Here is the front on view of the "body" of the Flying Duck Orchid.
The lowest section shows the anther where the pollen is stored.
The head snaps over to completely close off this "body".
The round shape allows room for an insect pollinator
to move around inside the flower,
even when the head snaps closed.