Dry August, but the Macquarie Pass Orchids are going gang-busters

Well, it is official, August saw Robertson (well, my house at least) got 1.5mm of rain, in two separate "rainfall events". Yep, folks, its hard to get much drier than that.
But we got a lot of rain (428mm) back in June, and so the tiny Greenhoods down on Macquarie Pass are blooming as I have never seen them bloom before.

But before we delve into the intricacies of thousands of Greenhoods, and Maroonhoods, here is a bird which brazenly walked across the roadway, in the gaps between heavy traffic rolling down the Pass. It is a native thrush, about the size of a European Blackbird, (slightly heavier, in fact).

It is a Bassian Thrush (which I once knew as a "Ground Thrush" - before the taxonomists brought Australian bird names into lock-step with the international naming conventions).

"If a Bassian Thrush is disturbed it often runs a short distance and then freezes, relying for defence on the camouflage of its mottled plumage against the leaf-litter of the forest floor."

That quote from Birds in Backyards site perfectly explains what is going on in the next shot. It scurried to the edge of the leaf litter,t hen "froze". It took me ages to even realise I had photographed the bird in the leaf litter. The yellow oval marks where it is. Look for the bird's eye.

Bassian Thrush camouflaged perfectly.
Check out the yellow oval ring, then look for the bird's eye.

The first Orchid colony
seen from across the Macquarie Pass roadway.

Pterostylis erecta colony

Pterostylis hildae and some Pterostylis erecta

A classic Pterostylis hildae

Mixed clump of Pterostylis hildae and erecta

Mixed clump of Pterostylis hildae and erecta

Nodding Greenhood - Pterostylis nutans

Mixed clump of Pterostylis hildae and erecta

A hybrid between Pt. hildae and Pt. erecta

A likely cross between Pt hildae and nutans

A likely cross between Pt hildae and Pt. erecta

Pterostylis hildae

Cross between Pt. nutans and Pt hildae

the final colony of Pt erecta and Pt hildae.

Another look at Shoalhaven Orchids - 31 August 2013

My friend Beth Boughton was invited to do a tour with Alan Stephenson and I, so she could see the Orchids she had heard about from me, and seen on my Blog.

Dockrillia pugioniformis
Dagger Orchid
Cambewarra Mtn

Dockrillia teretifolia
(These leaves are meant to be hanging down vertically)
please turn your head 90 degrees to the left.

Glossodia major
as seen at Myola Road, Myola.

Glossodia minor
A pure white form,
plus a regular coloured form

Not an Orchid.
A chance sighting and quick photo
of a Painted Button Quail
at Depot Road, Nowra

This was a surprise
when I looked closely at the photo
Petalochilus catenatus
Coonemia Creek.
I had assumed it was just a very pale form
of Petalochilus carneaBut it is too pure, too perfect.
Alan Stephenson has confirmed the ID as
"catenatus".

Petalochilus hillmanii

A nice pair of
Prasophyllum brevilabre

Pterostylis baptistii
A fine specimen of this handsome
King Greenhood.
Coonemia Creek

Pterostylis erecta colony
Barrengarry Mountain

Pterostylis erecta
Macquarie Pass,
1 September 2013

Pterostylis hildae
Macquarie Pass
1 September 2013

Speculantha vernalis
Depot Road, Nowra
31 August 2013
This is a spring flowering variant
of a group of tiny Greenhoods which
otherwise flower in summer.
Critically endangered and EPBC listed.

Sun Orchid
Thelymitra of indeterminate species
Probably Thelymitra ixioides variant.

Sarcochilus falcatus
Cambewarra Mtn.

Orchids from Nowra and Cambewarra Mountain

This morning I rang Alan Stephenson to check on the weather in Nowra.
We have had such cold, windy weather in Robbo that I was very uncertain that it was going to be worthwhile making the trip down to the Shoalhaven. But Alan assured me it was warm and sunny,

I am glad I went, for I found a number of interesting Orchids.

Hymenochilus bicolor
Formerly Pterostylis bicolor
Growing in Nowra Cemetery

Prasophyllum elatum
These plants on Leebold Hill
have green leaves and
black flower stems.
The buds are just visible,
They come out creamy colour.

Pterostylis erecta

Speculantha vernalis
This spring flowered species
of Speculantha
is distinct from the regular
summer and autumn flowered species.
Alan Stephenson has persuaded
the Federal Authorities
to list it as Critically Endangered
because it is so highly localised.

The epiphytic form of the
Sydney Rock Orchid
it grows so high in trees on
Cambewarra Mountain
that it is very hard
for me to photograph.
You can just make out
the long flower sprays.
Thelychiton epiphyticus

Dockrillia pugioniformis

Petalochilus alatus
Fairy Caladenia
This tiny Caladenia
is very sweet, but hard to find
and harder to photograph properly.

 An unusual magenta colour form of Glossodia minor
beside a regular colour form on right

Glossodia minor

Pterostylis erecta located on Red Rock Nature Reserve

I have probably seen this species Pterostylis erecta before (I know Alan Stephenson has told me it occurs in certain localities I have visited previously) but this is the first time I have found it by myself and worked out that it is a different species from the commonly seen, and closely related, "Maroonhood"(Pterostylis pedunculata).

Unlike Pt. pedunculata this flower lacks a "fat bottom".
And its tip of the galea is gently pointing upwards
(hence the name "erecta").

Pterostylis erecta

Unlike the "Maroonhood" (Pt pedunculata)
this plant is dark brownish green
instead of really dark almost black on the front.

Pterostylis erecta

Pterostylis erecta

The lateral sepals (the little "arms" sticking up in the air)
are held close to the Galea (the hood).

Pterostylis erecta

 Note the cheeky little poking-out labellum tip.
(click on image to enlarge it).

Pterostylis erecta

The ever reliable Colin and Mischa Rowan, of RetiredAussies.com have a good page of photos of these plants photographed last year, at Nowra.
Have a look at their excellent images.
http://www.retiredaussies.com/ColinsHome%20Page/OrchidsNSW/Pterostylis/Pterostylis%20erecta%20NSW/Pterostylis%20erecta%20NSW.htm

Edit: 
I left in a bit of a hurry, earlier (rushed off to Trivia Night)
I gave you links, but it is better to see the two species on the one page.

Pterostylis pedunculata

 Note the dark reddish-brown (mahogany coloured) front.

Pterostylis pedunculata

Note the white back of the flower,.
and the contrasting mahogany-coloured front of the flower.
Also the "gap" where the lateral sepals arch forward,
before swinging back up to form the "points".

Pterostylis pedunculata

 This shows what I refer to the "fat bum" of this species.
It is noticeably broader than the narrower Pterostylis erecta.

Pterostylis pedunculata

When presented together like these, it is hard to imagine not being able to tell them apart.

But in the field, without the two species together (in other words, working off memory), it is not that easy. For the two species are very similar in form.
Worse, there is another species as well, which is regarded as being between these two.

Pterostylis oblonga - which I shall leave for another day.

Its all too hard (for me) let alone for you dear readers.