After not too cold a night we awake to a beautiful day in the Ongerup Gardens Caravan Park. After cereal for breakfast, we decide to go exploring the woodlands behind the caravan park. We take what we believe to be a rough track, but it peters out soon enough, so we go bush bashing in an attempt to find it again. We end up curving north and head up past the sporting complex. We cross Jaekel Steet and follow the track/s to the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre, where we grab a coffee, for the walk back to the caravan park. The orchid count for such a good walk was a bit disappointing, however we did find some, so I will record them now.
Lazy spider orchid (Caladenia multiclavia)
Location: Borden to Ravensthorpe with rare populations northwards to Wongan Hills.
Habitat: Grows in woodland habitats, especially sheaok Allocasuarina species, on damp sheltered sites, often around rocky outcrops.
Season: September & October
Green spider (Fringed mantis) orchid (Caladenia falcata)
Location: Wongan Hills to Jerramungup
Habitat: Grows in a variety of woodland and shrubland habitats, on sandy to clay loam soils.
Season: September and October.
Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava)
Location: Northampton to Israelite Bay
Habitat: Flowers in greater profusion after summer fire. Sand, laterite, granite. Coastal woodlands, winter-wet swamps, forest areas, granite outcrops.
Season: July to December
Purple enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis)
Location: Kalbarri to Israelite Bay
Habitat: Grows in a wide variety of habitats, including heaths, woodland, open forest and mallee scrubs.
Season: August to early November
Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera)
Location: Shark Bay to Israelite Bay
Habitat: Sand, clay, sandy loam. Seasonally moist flats, creeklines, granite outcrops.
Season: July to October
Frog greenhood (Pterostylis sargentii)
Location: Northampton and Grasspatch
Habitat: Sandy clay & loam, white clayey sand, gravel, laterite, quartz, granite, limestone. Flats, gentle slopes, breakaways, rock cavities.
Season: July to November
Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile)
Location: Shark Bay to Eyre
Habitat: Sand, peaty sandy clay. Coastal swamps and sandhills, granite outcrops, winter-wet areas.
Season: July to October
Shy sun orchid (Thelymitra graminea)
Location: Perth to Esperance
Habitat: Growing in sandy or lateritic soils in woodlands and forests.
Season: October and November
Eight species ultimately found, however the numbers found were very low. Time to head toward Jerramungup, where we plan to check out a bush fire location, we spotted on the drive over on Monday.
