A New Orchid Find - Leafless Tongue Orchid : My Actifit Report Card: December 24 2021

Wake to a grey morning which built up into thunderstorm type weather. Peak out the window and see the stanhopea orchid has flowered.

This was a gift a few years back from an orchid friend - it flowers for a few days around Christmas

Nice to see the other stanhopea fernandezia about ready to open. It has been 3 years since I repotted it

With two days set for Christmas events, I was keen to get out to ride. Also keen to check on two orchid spots. Rode out to Ku-ring Gai Chase NP and walked from there

Fringe lilies aplenty

Promise of a variegated hyacinth orchid

Monitor lizard headed up the tree

A few new bonnet orchids - this is their time

I shared the orchid finds with 2 other walkers and walked back with them. Was going to go home but decided to persist with the first plan and turned around.

More bonnet orchids - and.close by one I saw a flash of red. I knew it was an orchid I had not found before

Leafless tongue orchid - cryptostylis hunteriana

Photo work was tough as the flower is half the width of a baby finger and camera wants to focus beyond. This orchid is classed as vulnerable mostly to do with very low fertilization rates - down at 1 or 2%.

More dipodium variegatum further along the track flowering where I saw buds last time

Time to track back and see if I can find the orchids I came for - one plant in same spot as last year

Only a few buds and not open on this side. I used my shadow over the plant to get this photo. I could see a flower on the other side.

Photo work was tough. Orchid is small - maybe 4mm across and 3mm high. I hold a leaf as background and focus and take with one hand = no hands to throw a shadow

Basically blind photos but they work to show it is corunastylis ruppii

I did see one more orchid in flower on the way down the hill plus one on the track I had not photographed makes for a 6 orchid day. Rode hard up the hill home.

Sure pleased I went out. The new orchid has not been recorded in the location = a buzz feeling. Sadly I did not get GPS reading.

My son phoned as I was getting ready to cook dinner. He is getting through a covid infection. He described it as a mild discomfort. "Anyone with a cardiovascular challenge would be in trouble" he says.

It is Christmas. I do not find it a fun time as I do not get to share it with my kids - add in the covid bullshit makes it worse. Not a happy time for me.

Cooking always helps - made a chicken satay stir fry from scratch. Worked well

I did work late to design a present for my son of a portfolio of rising altcoins- choosing.5 from 10 fastest risers from June to December. #hive is now on the list. More details next post.

This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

Cycling, Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking