Seeking Out Australian Native Orchids #42

Photographing orchids properly takes time - something I have to learn to do. I waited for ages on the River Walk past where I walked yesterday for the photographers to catch up. Not a hardship as there was plenty of bird and insect activity to keep me interested. Walk to lunchtime was to complete the River Walk loop back to the road. Temps remain in the low 30s C (mid 80s F).

Light was improving as the sun climbed a little higher in the sky. Maybe I could get one decent photo of a Magenta Orchid. This is the best I could come up with.

Magenta (Autumn) orchid - Eriochilus magenteus

There were slim pickings all the way until we got just short of the roadway. The area was mostly grassy with a few eucalpytus trees. Orchids do not like competition. Jan said that last time they had found tons of orchids on the open slope above the roadway = less grassy and more barren. I scoured it and could only find a few more magenta orchids.

Margaret was the first to spot something different. It is always a possibility that one finds a plant almost in bud and not see any flowers. So the photos have to be taken and a plan made to get back to identify positively. I am confident with the ID of this plant because we found some in flower close by. (Some think it could be Corunastylis simulans)

Fridged Midge orchid - Corunastylis fimbriata

Here are the plants in flower

Fridged Midge orchid - Corunastylis fimbriata

The fine hairs on the labellum make for a lovely fringe which ripples in the slightest breeze. The plant stands up to 30 cm tall (1 foot) and the flowers are a little bigger than a common house fly - i.e., really small.

Fridged Midge orchid - Corunastylis fimbriata

Now there is some confusuion in the naming of the Midge orchids. They were all classified in the subspecies Genoplesium. In the new classification, there is only one remaining genoplesium - Genoplesium Baueri. This does lead to some confusion when one looks up images from older websites.

Right on the roadway we found more ladies tresses and this time the colour has come out a lot closer to what my eyes saw.

Austral Ladies Tresses - Spiranthes australis

The next find was right close to the ladies tresses. Stop. Eyes open and one sees things. The flower too is not fully open but I do know it is a horned orchid.

Horned orchid - Orthoceras strictum

Front view and back view below

Horned orchid - Orthoceras strictum

These photos from Jan Mohandas do it better justice

Lunch stop was next to Gloucester River and the afternoon plan was to follow the river down to the waterfalls that take the river down the escarpment. Rain forest walk would be a lot cooler than walking in the more open bush.

Note: Photos taken with Canon PowerShot G16 on February 10, 2017 in Gloucester Tops NP