Oh, I love getting up early and heading off for a walk. Today I amble towards Brunderee Lake, just a short distance from home. The sun’s just beginning to light up the world. As I enter the track I spot a kangaroo. He stays with me for quite a distance, pausing every so often to have his photo taken. I oblige: snap snap snap. And each time he hops away when I’ve finished and waits till I catch up. I finally refrain from snapping, and he too loses interest and bounds off into the bush.
This leaves me free for the real business of the morning: orchid spotting. The rock lilies on the granite boulders beside the highway are flowering in lavish sprays and this suggests that I may find smaller native orchids beside the track where I’ve seen them in other years. And sure enough, there’s a small pale donkey orchid (Diuris sulphurea) lurking alone amongst the grass and kangaroo poo. So I pay due homage, flat on my belly with both cameras in operation. A few steps further on there’s quite a colony, their colour more saturated.
I return to the track and continue towards the lake, which I can see sparking in the sun. Everything is very dry. We badly need rain. The palette of the bush is desiccated leaves, and the sound under foot crunchy. But that doesn’t deter wax lips (Glossodia major), one bright purple bloom flaunting itself by the track and another more demure, more pallid one hiding amongst the prickles of bell-shaped heath.
By now my eyes are well attuned and I notice something else orchidaceous, which I take to be the bearded orchid my friend Rosemary spotted in just that place on her last visit. On close inspection it proves to be a tiny greenhood, possibly Pterostylis pedunculata.
When I have satisfied my urge to worship, I walk on down to the lake.
Acknowledgements to Jude channelling Becky, who has challenged bloggers to go square in September with flower photos.
Now I have orchid envy again, you do have such a variety 🙂
LikeLike
The most lavish display is on a couple of tall rocks off the highway. Which means we could find them on Nerrigundah Ridge, but the beach calls louder.
LikeLike
Pingback: Square in September | The life of a 40 something
oh what a wonderful walk, and just love how you incorporated ‘Square in September’. The orchids are beautiful . . .going to be quite a while before I see wild orchids again so seeing yours has made me smile 🙂
LikeLike
I can’t go rectangular now, curse it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
oops sorry!!!
(she says whilst also giggling very quietly to herself)
LikeLike
How lovely to have kangaroos and orchids to enliven your walk. I shall have to make do with cows and cowslips, but I can tell myself that they would exotic to someone from another area.
LikeLike
Kangaroos have become a bit hohum for me, as no doubt cows for you. Cows and cowslips would be a treat! And that’s a nice pairing you’ve made.
LikeLike
Meg, you did amuse me, going flat on your belly bÅ· the kangaroo poo….all in the interests of art!! What us photographers do!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that greenhood is a Maroonhood or Pterostylis pedunculata. They are small. I am hoping I might see one at our regional botanic gardens where H and I plan to have a walk today. You remember we found one there years ago beside the Botanical Track.
LikeLike
Any luck? I hope there are photos. And thanks for confirmation on maroonhood. I’m not as meticulous as you at ID, and I only looked at my Jones field guide, not the mighty tome.
LikeLike
No luck on the maroonhoods, we were too late this year. I had been waiting several weeks for H to have a time, or I would have gone sooner. There was a patch of spent greenhoods of some kind, small ones, which could have been maroonhoods. We did however walk on a track to the south of the bridge across the wetlands which had hundreds of Large Pink Fingers (Petalochilus quadrifarius) on either side. I also spied a colony of almost spent Nodding Greenhoods (Pterostylis nutans) with a few in good condition beside the track in a shady wooded area back in the area where we walked a few years ago. Very difficult to photograph either, and no luck at all with the nodding greenhoods. I don’t know why, possibly I have been inadvertently misusing some of the settings on my camera as many shots were just blurs despite the viewing window showing otherwise at the time of photographing. Also there was the usual problem with patches of white where the sun hit pink petals. I will send you the best of the Large Pink Fingers in an email attachment, plus some other photos. We did enjoy the walk without anyone else around, so peaceful, and plan to go again to walk other tracks.The Gardens are in excellent condition, very well maintained.
LikeLike
Oh, look at those beauties. I’ve done some orchid walks around the Bruce Trail, up the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, so it’s wonderful to see these from the other side of the world. Love that you started the day with a kangaroo.
LikeLike
I can always start the day with a kangaroo. They live on village lawns now. The other day I looked out my front window and there was an emu investigating the drive. Have you photographed the Bruce Trail orchids? If you’re interested in Antipodean orchids through my eyes, you might like to have a look at https://open.abc.net.au/explore/7501
LikeLike
Some beautiful squares here Meg. How wonderful to find these growing wild in your ‘backyard’ so’s to speak.
LikeLike
Close by over the years we’ve found nearly 30 different species. On J’s block there’s a line along which a number grow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are so delicious and delicate! What a reward 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree! Delicious and delicate they are!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I plan to seek such rewards more often!
LikeLiked by 1 person