2022 ….. Winter Weekend Camping at Anderson Rocks

Dragon Rocks NR, Lake Hurlstone NR, Nature Reserves, Road Trip, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

Saturday 04/06/2022

We awake to a crisp winters’ morning at the Chicken Ranch in Varley. After a leisurely breakfast, we break camp and head straight for Dempster Rock to look for orchids. Nothing in bloom found. Disappointed, we move on and stop at a new location for us, in the Lake Hurlstone Nature Reserve.

This location may prove fruitful in later stages of the season, as it has a few different habitats to check out. We did locate some orchids this time as well, so all is good. First up appears to be the Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula) due to its small size and colouring. Further specimens are found with more stem leaves, taller plants and more flowers, so some may be the Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea). I will post pics of all, so please assist with the identification if you can.

Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula)

Also found lots of spent White bunny orchids, with a lone one still identifiable as such. This one had a crinkled edged stem leaf, so I initially thought it to be the Crinkled-leafed bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. undulatus) which flowers during April and May, hence why only spent flowers were found, except for this late flowering one of course. However, using Florabase, the only listed bunny orchid found in both the Shire of Kulin and the Shire of Kondinin is the Blunt-leaved bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. brevifolius) which flower May and June and only have up to 3 flowers. The leaf is also crinkled-edged so I am happy with this identification. Seems subsp. undulatus has been cancelled in Florabase and the common name of Crinkled-leaved bunny orchid given to subsp. brevifolius. The name game is never ending with native orchids. Also found on the way back to the Triton was a nice specimen of the Dark banded greenhood.

Blunt-leaved bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. brevifolius)

Leaving this new location, we head north to Hyden, where we enjoy an amazing hamburger for lunch. As Richard is running late, we make tracks for Anderson Rocks, our planned destination for this long-weekend.

During the weekend I would climb the rock and record the sounds of the frogs in the FrogID App and then attempt to upload my recordings. I received a reply from the Frog ID App on the 20/07/22 advising they had identified 2 species, so my uploads were successful. The species found were the Bleating Froglet (Crinia pseudinsignifera) and Crawling Toadlet (Pseudophryne guentheri).

Monday 06/06/2022

After a great long-weekend camping with Richard, Sandy and Noel at Anderson Rocks, it is time to travel home. As per usual we do not travel home in a straight line and try our best to take roads yet travelled. So, from Hyden we make our way to Allen Rocks Road, where we stop at an old rubbish dump it seems, as there is so much rubbish lying around. We found some old Gest cooldrink bottles and an old enamel pot to add to our collection. The only orchids found here were some yet to fully open shell orchids.

Next stop was on Dragon Rocks Road in the Dragon Rocks Nature Reserve. This roadside stop turned up some Dark banded greenhoods. Then further south on the Newdgate Road North at another roadside stop we only found some spent Pygmy orchids (Corunastylis fuscoviridis) which are also an early flowering orchid.

Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea)

Final stop for the day other than to fuel up in Lake King and a toilet break in Munglinup. Arrived back in Esperance around 6.15pm and had dinner at our sons’ house, before heading home to unpack. A great weekend but not so great on the orchid front.

10/10/2021 ….. Yealering to Newdegate

Malyalling NR, Nature Reserves, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

So, we awake in Yealering on the Sunday after enjoying the Regatta on the lake the previous day. We are in the local caravan park with friends Sandy, Noel and Richard. After breakfast we all pack up our respective campers and make our separate way home. For us this will be an excuse to go orchid hunting. Fancy that!!!

I do not have a record in my little black book, and I am writing this record more than 12mths after the fact, so my memory fails me. So, this record will record locations and finds only, with no commentary, which some may find refreshing.

Green spider orchid

(Caladenia falcata)

200 – 400mm in height

Flowers – Late Aug to Oct

Location – Wongan Hills to Jerramungup

Smooth yellow crested mid lobe to column

Granite sun orchid

(Thelymitra petrophila)

100 – 350mm in height

Flowers – Aug to Nov

Location – Mullewa to South Australia

Grows in shallow soli pockets on granite or breakaways

Small flowered donkey orchid

(Diuris porrifolia)

150 – 350mm in height

Flowers – Late July – Sept

Location – Moora to Albany

Narrow, sometimes crossed lateral sepals

Elbow orchid

(Spiculaea ciliata)

100-180mm in height

Flowers – Oct to Jan

Location – Kalbarri to Grasspatch

EIGHTY SIX GATE ROAD – UNNAMED NATURE RESERVE

Inverted flowers- Lateral sepals pointing upwards

Little laughing leek orchid

(Prasophyllum gracile)

60 – 200mm in height

Flowers – Jul to Oct

Location – Shark Bay to Eyre

Granite sun orchid

(Thelymitra petrophila)

Leaf – Narrow, 4-6mm in width

Colour – Blue, purple or pink

Cowslip orchid

(Caladenia flava subsp. flava)

100 – 250mm in height

Flowers – Jul to early Dec

Location – Geraldton to Israelite Bay

Green spider orchid

(Caladenia falcata)

Another common name – Fringed mantis orchid

Leaf – Single, erect, hairy leaf 100-200mm in length

Elbow orchid

(Spiculatea ciliata)

Habitat – In the north sandy soils over sandstone, In the south soil pockets on granite

Leaf – Fleshy, green and red infused leaf, which is shriveled at time of flowering

Blue china orchid

(Cyanicula gemmata)

40 – 150mm in height

Flowers – Aug to early Nov

Location – Kalbarri and Israelite Bay

Harrismith / Dudinin area

Granite sun orchid

(Thelymitra petrophila)

Neendaling

Green spider orchid

(Caladenia falcata)

Shy sun orchid

(Thelymitra graminea)

150 – 350mm in height

Flowers – Oct to Nov

Location – Perth to Esperance

Column has smooth yellow crested mid lobe

Little laughing leek orchid

(Prasophyllum gracile)

Common mignonette orchid

(Microtis media subsp. media)

Newdegate

Upswept, narrowly clubbed lateral sepals

Small mantis orchid

(Caladenia attingens subsp. gracillima)

170 – 350mm in height

Flowers – Aug to early Oct

Location – Jerramungup to Israelite Bay

Little laughing leek orchid

(Prasophyllum gracile)

You can tell we are moving into the last few months of the Western Australian orchid season as we only located 9 species over multiple inland locations. The Southwest corner has a much longer season than both the inland and Southeastern areas.

20/06/2021 ….. Munglinup weekend .. Day 2

Cascade NR, Fields NR, Munglinup NR, Nature Reserves, Road Trip, Speddingup NR, Springdale NR, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

Waking to another beautiful morning at Munglinup Beach Camping Ground we enjoy a leisurely morning before packing up the camper and moving to Springdale Nature Reserve for our first orchid hunt. No orchids found so we move onto Munglinup Nature Reserve to see if we have better luck.

We park up just inside the track and venture in on foot. First orchid for the day is the Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea) which is a widespread orchid flowering June to September.

Standing tall – Up to 400mm in height
Insect-like labellum
Variable in colour
Green colouring – Possible P. vittata
Up to 12 flowers per orchid

Once we reach the old gravel pit Deb heads off to the area she had previously found Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata) leaves. She was lucky to find some in flower even though they are way past their best.

Double-header . Rarely up to 4 flowers
Erect petals, hanging lateral sepals
Swelling ovary
Fringed labellum
Distinctive leaf

Also found a very promising leaf about 4mm across. It appears to be from the Drakaea genus however the only species mentioned as being located near this location has a smooth heart shaped leaf. This leaf has small hairs over it’s surface so may be another species not listed for this location. Again any assistance you can provide to the correct identification would be appreciated.

Nothing more found at this location so we move onto one of our regular haunts along the highway. At the intersection of Mills Road we go exploring, though not expecting too much to be found. However we find our first orchid from the Diuris genus, which is exciting. The Green Range donkey orchid (Diuris littoralis) is found in large numbers, however there are only a few early flowering ones, given that they are said to flower from July to September.

Colourful yellow, brown and mauve flowers
Stand up to 300 mm in height
Many yet to flower
Reflexed and often crossed lateral sepals
Broad dorsal sepal

Also found some dark greenhood orchids and well as some lighter green in colour. They may be two species or colour variant’s of the same. Possible identification: Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea), Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula) or Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata). Give me your thoughts.

Fleshy lateral sepals
7 stem leaves
Small stature
Light green colouring
Possible pollinator

We next move along Mills Road to our next location (Mud Map SE32). We first explore the north side of the road and come across a Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa) flowering all alone. Another solo specimen is later found. Crossing to the south side of the road proves fruitless so we move on.

Growing in woodland
Usually up to 150 mm in height
Erect lateral sepals up to 35mm in length
Dorsal sepal and petals form pointed hood
Rosette of leaves

We head further north, as we have chosen to check out Cascade Nature Reserve. Here we pull into the old quarry/gravel pit and go exploring. First up we find more banded greenhoods, then discover a shell orchid in bud. It should be a Dwarf shell orchid (Pterostylis brevichila), which flower from July to September, as it is just starting to flower. All other inland shell orchid species commence flowering in May.

Banded greenhood
Shell orchid budding up
Dwarf shell orchid rosettes
Mallee banded greenhood
Shell orchid – Vertical stripes evident

If we get a chance we will return later to catch the shell orchids in full flower. However we must keep moving, so even further north we check out Fields Nature Reserve. This is a new location so very unsure what may be here. Unfortunately we only find more greenhood orchids. These appear to be a mixture of species, which is cool.

Dark coloured lateral sepals
Two species side by side??
Dark banded greenhood ??
Insect-like labellum
Banded greenhood ??

The only other species found was a single, early flowering, Brittle snail orchid (Pterostylis timothyi) which have a small rosette of pointed leaves and the flower is green and fawn in colour. They are said to flower from July, hence this one is not fully formed as yet.

Pointed leaves on small rosette
Fawn tip to hood
Prominently veined leaves

We now head east and at the Scaddan / Dalyup boundary, we check out Speddingup Nature Reserve. We had visited here back on the 22/5/21, when we located many pterostylis rosettes, so we hope some have now flowered.

Well first up we found what appeared to be a Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica) in bud. Then as expected we finally find some Dwarf shell orchids (Pterostylis brevichila) in flower. In fact they were even growing on the edge of the track. These are an inland shell orchid which flowers from July, so we are lucky some early flowering specimens were here.

Midget greenhood in bud
Dwarf shell orchids lack a rosette when flowering
Tip of the labellum just visible
Erect lateral sepals
Stand up to 120 mm in height
White brown/green striped flower

I venture across the road and find more banded greenhoods. Again the species may be variable.

Banded greenhoods
Mallee banded greenhood
Labellum

It is now 4pm so time to make tracks for home. A great day with some good finds. The season is starting out great. I can’t wait till the next adventure.

19/06/2021 ….. Munglinup weekend .. Day 1

Lake Shaster NR, Munglinup Beach, Nature Reserves, Other Reserves, Road Trip, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

Following a great nights sleep, in our Ezytrail camper, we awake to a beautiful winters morning at the Munglinup Beach Campground (Mud Map SE 33). After a leisurely breakfast we finally go exploring for orchids. In the consolidated sand dunes we find what we have been looking for. So many pterostylis rosettes, so we move around in extreme care, looking for orchids in flower.

In the middle of all theses rosettes we eventually find some Curled-tongue shell orchids (Pterostylis rogersii) standing tall. Well about 100mm tall that is. Flowering plants lack the rosette which is a distinctive feature of shell orchids.

Long, curled protruding labellum provides common name.
Reddish brown colouring is usual.
3 – 5 stem leaves
Can grow to 200 mm in height
Many rosettes in typical habitat
Moss growth on consolidated dune system

No other flowering orchids found. Numerous leaves of different species found, so a return visit later in the season may be warranted. As we are camping the night we spread our search wider, by packing up the Triton and driving west into Lake Shaster Nature Reserve. This track west leads to some possible beachside camping and day use areas and it along this track that we find our next pterostylis species.

They appear to be Dark banded greenhoods (Pterostylis sanguinea) which are a greenhood with brown to green flowers. They are found in coastal dunes and scrublands when near the coast.

Located in 4 Australian states
Stand up to 400 mm in height
Found in scrublands and coastal dunes
Banded flowers
Short down swept later sepals
Up to 10 flowers per orchid

Further along the track a lonely snail orchid is spotted. I am unable to identify this specimen after referencing my books, so if you can assist please leave a comment.

Bloated or not ???
Loose rounded leaf rosette
Standing around 120mm in height

We reach the beach and take a break to enjoy the lunch that Deb had whipped up back at camp. We then move a little further west to another beach where Deb tries her hand at fishing, whilst I explore for orchids in the surrounding dunes. Deb was more successful than I, so we return back to camp with no more orchids found, however I did find a good patch of leaves.

Found the orchid we expected in the shell orchid and the snail and greenhood orchids were a bonus. Deb got to fish and we both got to enjoy our beautiful south east coast on a sunny winters day. Now to light the campfire and have a drink or two.

07/06/2021 ….. Wander home from weekend visiting family

Highbury SF, Road Trip, State Forest, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

A roadtrip to Perth and back with two grandkids in tow. What were we thinking. LOL!! So after a great catch-up with family in Dwellingup, Mandurah and Perth it was time for the long trek home. All the more interesting given our two special passengers.

Leaving Dwellingup we make a quick stop at Marradong Church for a look at the memorial sculpture. Then we stop at Quindanning Hall for a toilet break and to stretch our legs before we head off towards home. However at Highbury State Forest, along Tarwonga Road, we decide to have a quick scout around for some orchids. I walk along the track with my grandson, whilst Deb and the granddaughter drive slowly along in the Triton.

Too my delight , we find some orchids. The common Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa) and Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vitatta) are found. Also found was the recently named Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula) Pictures taken, then we hit the road again.

Next stop was at the small town of Kukerin, for another toilet stop. This was a great little stop with bouncy pillow, playground and windmills to entertain the grandkids.

We grabbed some lunch at Rosies Cafe & Bakery in Lake Grace before our final push to Esperance. It was an enjoyable return trip with the grandkids. Not much in the way of orchids but we did only check out one location, which is very unusual for us.

23/05/2021 ….. Weekend away . Return trip .

Nature Reserves, Pallarup NR, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

After a great nights sleep in the Ezytrail camper, we awake to a beautiful day at Lilian Stokes Rock in the Frank Hann National Park. As the search yesterday proved fruitless we decide to pack up and head west to Lake King. We call into the tavern for lunch and refreshments before starting our orchid hunt.

First up we park up at the roadside stop and venture across the road to the walk trail No. 3 that leads north from the Blue house. There is a lot a rubbish from years gone by along this trail but we do find some Pygmy orchids (Corunastylis fuscoviridis). Mostly spent ones are found however on the return trip we did find some still in flower.

The only other recognizable orchid found were some Banded greenhoods (Pterostylis vitatta) just starting to flower. Nothing more found so we head off to another location.

We head south to a favourite location of ours.; Pallarup Nature Reserve. As it is nearly 3pm we have a quick scout along the track leading to the water tank. It is along here we find the Crinkle-leafed bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. undulatus). Another bunny orchid without the crinkle-leaf is also found. Unsure of the identification so will just name this a ?? bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus). Any help in providing an identification would be appreciated.

We reach the granite rock and head above the catchment wall for where we usually find Hare orchids (Leporella fimbriata). We are not disappointed, however the numbers are lower.

22/05/2021 Frank Hann NP

Frank Hann NP, National Parks, Speddingup NR, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

Well we have decided to make a weekend of our orchid hunting and will camp overnight in our trusty Ezytrail camper trailer. Planned overnight camp is at Lilian Stokes Rock in the Frank Hann National Park. So we head north up the Coolgardie-Esperance Hwy to get our trip started.

Pulled over for the first exploration of the weekend.

First stop is the side of Boydell Road, a left turn off the highway. This is the first visit to this location for Deb and she finds the first orchids. Typical!! Seems to be Crinkle-leafed bunny Orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. undulatus) growing in the gravely verge. I change my direction to check them out and stumble across some as well. Whilst I’m busy taking photos Deb moves on.

Pale colouring to this specimen
Up to 3 flowers per orchid
Can grow to 250mm in height
Narrow dull green petals
Grows in a variety of habitats
Undulate-margined leaf

I’m still getting shots of the bunnies when Deb calls out, as she has found a Hare Orchid (Leporella fimbriata). Excitedly I make my way over to get a photo.

Up to 3 flowers (rarely 4) per orchid
Green and purple flowers
Erect, ear-like petals
fimbriata (Latin) alluding to the fringed labellum

A few more bunnies are found only, so we move to the north side of the road. Here we find some Banded Greenhood (Pterostylis vittata). Most were yet to fully open, however luckily we find one plant with 2 open flowers.

vittatus (Latin – longitudinally striped)

Making our way back to the Triton we collect discarded bottles from the verge. Doing our little bit to clean up the countryside, plus we now get 10c per bottle. I direct a turn north up Hillermans Road so we get to check out Speddingup Nature Reserve. Here we find some Banded Greenhoods in flower.

Crossing a watercourse/lake/saltpan we surprise 4 emus who run off. At this point we rise up to what appears to be a Gimlet woodland. As this is very different habitat to the sandy plain we had just driven through, we pull over to have a look. No orchids in flower located, however we did find Pygmy orchids that had finished their season and many small Pterostylis rosettes. Within these many rosettes where some stems popping up. These baby orchids had no rosette so I believe they will be a Shell orchid when they finally bloom. We will need to come back in a few weeks to check on the progress. After crossing 3 such water courses we come to one that is too boggy, so we had to turn around and head back to Speddingup Road West.

We chicken out !!!

From here we head toward Fields Nature Reserve where we plan to have lunch. However there is nowhere to pull off the road, so we continue until we reach the intersection of Neds Corner Road. Here we pull over at a great tractor sculpture and Deb knocks up a sandwich.

We then continue on Griffiths Road to Griffiths Nature Reserve and turn south down Edwards Road to get back on track. Cascades Road reached and we make tracks for our planned destination, Frank Hann National Park, more specifically Lilian Stokes Rock. We were shocked to see the destruction of the park due to a bush fire.

After setting up the camper trailer we explore the rock. Deb finds the only orchid in flower. A fertilised Crinkle-leafed bunny orchid. Other leaves found of an unknown species. We then collect wood that someone had kindly sawn up. Campfire lit, drinks poured and dinner cooked. We sit back and enjoy the serenity.

27/09/2020 ….. Peak Charles Long Weekend – Day 3

National Parks, Peak Charles NP, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

Well after a wet night we awake to a fine, cloudy day with white fast moving clouds covering the peak of Peak Charles. An amazing sight it is!!

After breakfast we jump in the Triton and head off south towards nearby Peak Elenore, where we plan to explore for orchids. Driving along the track southwards we come across a track leading west back towards the rocks so Deb decides to check it out. We come across someone camping so nearly just turned back but luckily I noticed we could bypass a fallen tree and get closer to the rocks. Pulling up alongside we venture into the rocky slope which is quite well vegetated and is still quite green. Might be due to being on the lee side of the hill.

Almost immediately green spider orchids are found. Two subspecies of Calendenia attingens are found in this area. They are very similar orchids with the main distinguishing feature being the lateral sepals. Small mantis orchid (Caladenia attingens subsp. gracillima) has upswept lateral sepals and the Granite mantis orchid (Caladenia attingens subsp. effusa) has barely upswept lateral sepals, plus the lamina calli of the Small mantis orchid extend further onto the red apex than other species, which assists with identification, however is still proves difficult.

In the midst of so many mantis orchids a Western wispy spider orchid (Caladenia microchila) is found. These orchids flower July to early October over an easterly range from Kondinin to Madura. They can be found growing around granite outcrops. Other specimens were found later on in the search of this location.

Another spider orchid is found which is proving more difficult to identify. The labellum has very dark distinct red lines and the petals and sepals are quite narrow. I will be naming these orchids the Ironcaps spider orchid (Caladenia paradoxa) which can be found on granite outcrops and is said to intergrade with C. microchila at the eastern extent of it’s distribution (Wubin to Norseman). Please correct me if I’m wrong as the distribution listed does not include Peak Charles specifically.

A rufous greenhood type orchid is the next found. Various specimens are found scattered around and they differ in colour, lateral sepals positions and general aspect. Naming these orchids is proving very difficult. The specimens with long thin apically upcurved lateral sepals could be the Striped rufous greenhood (Pterostylis zebrina) which is recorded as being found between Mt Ridley to Merredin growing on or near granite outcrops.

There is a brown coloured greenhood with much shorter lateral sepals that are quite hairy looking and quite square at the top rather than being rounded. Based on this I’ll name this specimen the Straight-topped rufous greenhood (Pterostylis sp. “straight tops”) which is located between the Murchison River and Peak Charles, our current location. However this orchid is not listed in the latest reference book so please correct me if you believe I am incorrect.

Many other rufous greenhoods were found and naming them is just too difficult, so I’m just uploading some pictures with the hope that someone can provide some guidance.

An unexpected find was the Sigmoid spider orchid (Caladenia sigmoidea). For very small orchids they are quite distinct with red and cream colourings and of course the ‘S’ shaped apex to the labellum, from which it derives it’s name.

Moving on, we head south towards Peak Elenore. We don’t go far before a change in vegetation makes up stop to have a look around. First up is a rufous greenhood orchid just budding up. Then further along another lone orchid is found, however this one is in full flower. Due to the long thin sepals this orchid could be a Slender rufous greenhood (Pterostylis macrosceles). It is recorded as growing between Goomalling and Queen Victoria Rocks, which is someway North of our current location, however Florabase records it as being in the Esperance shire, so I am happy with my ID.

After 30mins of searching, nothing else is found, so we move on. This time we stop in a white sandy patch to see if anything different can be found. After a few minutes with nothing found we move on and get to the Salmon Gum patch, where we were originally going to camp after finding the camping ground full. So happy we are camping where we are as this place is rather dry and barren. However there are orchids here. First up is the Insect-lipped rufous greenhood (Pterostylis insectifera) which is located between Karroun Hill, Ravensthorpe and Norseman. An exerted labellum and down-curved lateral sepals are distinctive features.

Another orchid found could very well be the Elegant rufous greenhood (Pterostylis elegantissima) due to the wide-spaced flowers and laterally-splayed lateral sepals. The labellum is almost blackish, dark green. Unfortunately, one of my specimens two flowers has a green labellum, which disagrees with my ID. However the orchids occur in locations between Goomalling and Salmon Gums, which concurs with my ID. Another case of ID confusion!

As it’s now 12.30ish we decide to give Peak Elenore a miss and head back to camp to grab a bite of lunch. After lunch the 2 Deb’s have a rest so I head off looking for a way up onto the rock. It is way too steep close to camp so I follow the base for quite a while. At one point I stumble across a small spider orchid growing a the base of the granite. Struggled to get some good photos but they are posted below just for recording purposes. By the off white colouring I believe it to be a Common spider orchid (Caladenia varians) which is found from Kalbarri to Esperance flowering from July till mid-October.

Nearby other rufous greenhoods were found. I think some are more Striped rufous greenhoods and one with cupped lateral sepals I am unsure of.

Not finding much else I decide to leave the rock s and head into the surrounding woodland/scrub to see if anything different is found. First up only more rufous greenhoods are found then by chance a small patch of Shy greenhoods (Pterostylis allantoidea) are found. The little guys belong to the snail orchid complex and flower in the area bordered by Ravensthorpe, Coolgardie and Israelite Bay, during August and September.

Stumbled across the remnants of a Caladenia roei complex orchid then on the track back to camp some more rufous greenhoods are found.

Peak Elenore will have to wait for another visit as time has gotten away from us and this is our last night camping. Appears the rufous greenhood orchids are the dominant orchid complex at Peak Charles N. P. at this late time of the season. It was still a pleasure finding them and getting out into the “Great Outdoors”.

26/09/2020 ….. Peak Charles Long Weekend – Day 2

National Parks, Peak Charles NP, Weekend away, Western Australian Orchids

Waking up in the great outdoors and enjoying a hearty breakfast is such a wonderful way to start the day. As we could not find room at the established campground, we need to drive back to the adjoining day use car park for the beginning of the walk trail which heads up the peak. It is along the flat part of this trail that we find our first orchid. One Rufous greenhood (Pterostylis roensis) is found growing under the trees. This is a inland orchid found growing between Mt Jackson and Balladonia in the months of September to November. The relatively short lateral sepals are a distinctive feature.

The trail then commences a climb up the rocks with the ultimate goal of summiting Peak Charles. We however only plan on reaching the plateau between Peak Charles and the smaller mound to the east. We made it to Mushroom rock without finding another orchid which is a bit concerning however we rest for some photo opps then move on up further with hope in our hearts.

Deb locates a patch of mignonette orchids, however only one was in bloom. So I grab a few pics for record purposes and continue up to the plateau. They appear to be the Granite mignonette orchid (Microtis graniticola) due to the location, green coloured flowers and concave dorsal sepal. As the name suggests theses orchids occur on granite outcrops ranging from Mullewa to Balladonia.

Many spent donkey orchids Diuris sp. are found however none still in flower unfortunately. Once we reached the plateau we headed east with the plan to cross over to the other mount. Along the plateau it is devoid of orchids until we find another rufous greenhood in the throngs of opening up.

It is over 1 hr since we found the first orchid then excitedly we stumble across the small Sigmoid spider orchid (Caladenia sigmoidea) growing under some protective bushes. These wonderful little spider orchids are found inland between Mt Jackson to Mt Ragged. They only grow to 150mm in height and are distinguished by their S-shaped labellum apex.

Well the gully between the 2 mounts is deeper than we remember so we back track down the hill to follow the base of the rock around and then climb back up the 2nd mount.

Pushing our way onto the next mount we come across some other rufous greenhoods. Different species though this time. From my research I believe them to be the Striped rufous greenhood (Pterostylis zebrina) which occurs on granite outcrops from Merredin to Mt Ridley.

Deb is onto her spotting as usual and comes across a small patch of Shy greenhoods (Pterostylis allantoidea) which are a very distinctive orchid. Prominently extended dorsal sepal produces a pointed hood over a thick sausage like labellum. Found over a triangular range between Coolgardie, Raventhorpe and Israelite Bay.

Hidden under the same bush as the Shy greenhoods was a green coloured rufous greenhood. Solely due to the bright green colouring I am naming this one the Green spooned-lipped rufous greenhood (Pterostylis virens) as most others are green-brown or similar variations. If I had taken a photo of the labellum, this may have confirmed or otherwise my identification.

Over the remainder of the time we searched, the only orchids found were many more rufous greenhoods, of possible different species. Tough job trying to name these orchids. Assistance would be greatly received.

Nearing 1pm so we decide to head back down to the Triton and drive back to camp for some lunch and a quiet afternoon relaxing.

Very pleased to have found the Sigmoid spider orchids, however disappointed at the lack of Donkey orchids and other spider orchid species. It definitely was the day of the rufous greenhood complex orchids, which was wonderful.

WA Orchid Adventures

Come with me on my Orchid Adventures in Southern Western Austalia

Weekend away

04/06/2022 & 06/06/2022 ….. Winter Weekend Camping at Anderson Rocks

10/10/2021 ….. Yealering to Newdegate

20/06/2021 ….. Munglinup weekend .. Day 2

19/06/2021 ….. Munglinup weekend .. Day 1

07/06/2021 ….. Wander home from weekend visiting family

23/05/2021 ….. Weekend away . Return trip .

22/05/2021 Frank Hann NP

27/09/2020 ….. Peak Charles Long Weekend – Day 3

26/09/2020 ….. Peak Charles Long Weekend – Day 2