Today the plan was to attend a gathering of 10 people (maximum allowed under current restrictions) to hunt for orchids at Dereel and in Enfield State Park, both of which are in Golden Plains Shire. But from midnight last night Ballarat went back into lockdown for a week, meaning that half of the people who were planning to attend were not able to. Fortunately the person leading the hunt lives in Golden Plains Shire, so the hunt went ahead, and as residents of Moorabool Shire we were able to take part.
Covid-safe orchid hunting:
Orchids we saw included:
Dwarf greenhood (Pterostylis nana):
Small gnat orchid (Cyrtostylis reniformis):
Waxlip orchid (Glossodia major):
I think this is a Pink lady fingers (Caldenia carnea), although that hasn't been confirmed by anyone:
Mayfly orchid (Acianthus caudatus):
I took many many photos, in the hope that some were in focus. These tiny flowers are not easy to photograph as the slightest breeze moves them. And I don't have a camera like these ones:
If you enlarge this photo you might just be able to see the orchids they are photographing. From memory they are bronze bird orchids, (Chiloglottis ×pescottiana).
I ended the day with photos of 10 different orchid species, and 20 other species of plants, insects and fungi that were mostly new to me. It was a successful day out for those of us who were lucky enough to be able to attend.
1 comment:
Who would have thought looking at orchids was such a physically demanding activity? Your photos are excellent. Having a bit of card to put behind the very delicate ones is a great idea.
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