Seeking Out Australian Native Orchids #20

Been off the bicycle for a week on nursemaid duties. Feeling lazy to ride. Long ride for orchid hunting or short ride to purse the suggestion from the almanac.

My wife broke her foot in a fall last week Tuesday. I have been nursemaid and have not felt like going out to ride the bicycle. Yesterday, the specialist said she could start walking without crutches (she has a moonboot). Yippee!! That means I do not feel guilty about going for a ride. The idea was to go for a nice long ride and to seek out orchids on a road through the section of the National Park I have not visited for a while. The morning drifted away as I was busy doing markets stuff (I trade forex and manage all my own investments). By the time I was ready to go the temperature was already around the 30 C mark (high 80's F). I was getting that lazy feeling and the almanac had reminded me that Rosy had shown herself above Apple Tree Bay on this day last year. Let's ride to Apple Tree Bay and follow the almanac suggestion.

I am noticing as I get older that my fitness does not hold very well. Already feeling the week off the bike. At least my mental faculties are still good as I found Rosy just where she was last year hugging the steep hillside above Cowan Creek. There are 3 plants growing this year - last year there were two.

This bank is more than 45 degrees. Clearly there is a solid base for the tubers as this is where she was last year. Such a great location - and only 9 kms (6 miles) from my house

Rosy Hyacinth Orchid (Dipodium Roseum)

Photos are from two different plants and there are subtle differences in the colour pink and the spots. There is a cliff face above the road level here (Rosy is below the road). It struck me that this could well be directly underneath where I found the other Rosy Hyacinth Orchids last week. I will check the maps when I get home - my guess is the seeds for this orchid have come down that cliff face with the rain. Sure enough - here are the maps. This is IT geek heaven. The map comes from my Garmin GPS bike computer. It has showed me where I stopped to take the photos - that is where the black dot is. The curve on the road above is where the Regional Office is and X marks the spot - this orchid here came from the X spot.

Last week I also shared a rant about a bicycle tube left lying on the roadside - the one where there were orchids on the other side of the road. Well I stopped there on the way back to have a look. There is a nice cluster of orchids pushing their stems upwards at the foot of the tree

And the good news is there are flowers. As I guessed last time this is a Bonnet Orchid (Cryptostylis Erecta - well named with its very upright stem). A few photos this time - one to show the background down the hill

and the other to show the background to the road.

and one a little closer in.

Sure am pleased I went out. Also pleased with the improvement in photographs - getting the hang of the right focal length.

Note: Pictures taken with Canon G16 PowerShot on November 23, 2016.