04-09-2017

After a wonderful night around the camp fire, we wake to another beautiful spring morning. Breakfast eaten, we pack up camp and head to Pergande Sheep Yards. The yards were constructed in the early 1900’s from thin granite slabs harvested from nearby Waicubbing Hill  using the heating/cooling method.

3 unusual sheep

Sheep yard made from thin granite slabs

This is the sheep run where the flock was thinned down to one sheep at a time passing through

Now for the long drive to Charles Darwin Reserve, with a lunch stop at the Dalwallinu pub. We arrived at the reserve mid afternoon and set up camp ready to tackle the tracks in search of orchids in the morning. The drive into camp though did not bode well for orchids, as it was very very dry.

Fish n chips for the boys and Fisherman’s basket for Deb

Such beautiful spring weather

5/9/2017

Today we take the Salt Lake Tour to the North of our campsite to see if we can find any orchids at all. As expected it took a lot of looking before we found some small Dainty blue orchids (Cyanicula amplexans). These little beauties are found August to early October between Kalbarri to Norseman.

Purplish-mauve, prominently tri-lobed labellum

Short, horizontally spreading petals and sepals

Size comparison with my index finger

It was another 1/2hr before we found our next orchid species. Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae), which flower August to September and range from Paynes Find to Salmon Gums.

Prominently yellow, brown marked flowers 20 – 40 mm across.

Broad petals and a very broad dorsal sepal

Labellum with spreading lateral lobes and a broad , flattened to convex mid lobe

Only 2 species found over the entire 32 kms of the Salt Lake Tour. It is a very stark comparison with August last year when there were orchids and other wildflowers everywhere.

Salt Lake tour