A bit of encouragement

I blame Mario for igniting my desire to see if two weeks has been enough to allow any more orchids to come out.  He sent me an image of a Winter Donkey Orchid (Diuris brumalis), which are the first of the donkeys orchids to flower.  They are however only found on the scarp, which comprises a low north–south running escarpment that separates the coastal plain and inland Wheatbelt.  As such I was not likely to find them without trekking up to the scarp, which I didn’t fancy.  Instead I drove the short distance to Ambergate Reserve, accepting I wouldn’t find the Winter Donkey Orchid today:

One reason for wanting a short distance is that the wild weather, while easing today, was still upon us.  Belts of heavy rain and strong gusts were highly likely, and I was taking a chance going out.  As I write this, and having just read up on the Ambergate Reserve I found it a little coincidental that the area was probably named, by the early settlers, after a village of the same name in the county of Derbyshire in England.  Derbyshire county being where the Peak District and Hathersage are located, which is where I was just last week (https://sandbagged.blog/2022/08/01/time-to-head-back/),:

These settlers, which formed part of Settlement Group 44, lived on the reserve in tents for approx. two years in the early 1920s.  There is no sign of where the tents sites were, with the only evidence being a collapsed well by the side of the walk track.  The surrounding land was already being used for dairy farming, where they worked until they were given their own land to farm.  As such this 75-hectare patch of remnant vegetation was already, back then, an island and sanctuary for flora and fauna, surrounded by farmland.  The reserve is recognised as being rich in plants and animals, and houses an incredible diversity:

I have no idea what the shrub in the first image is, despite looking but I feel confident in saying the above image is a Dwarf Burchardia (Burchardia multiflora).  The name multiflora coming from the Latin words multus and floris, meaning many and flower.  The pinkish white flowers of this plant come out from July to October, but despite the meaning of its name I only found one.  While walking in England I was able to smash out 12km in under three hours, and felt that I had been looking round a fair bit.  But obviously not as much as I do over here:

Hunting for distinctive shapes and colours that might give away an orchid, amongst the ground cover, required a much slower pace.  And this short 4km trail took me over an hour and half to get round, but I was rewarded and found two species of orchid in flower.  The above Banded Greenhood (Pterostylis vittata), which I have previously spotted this season, and the below Slender Snail Orchid (Pterostylis crispula).  I also came across spent rabbit and autumn leek orchids, and some distinctive basal leave hinting of what might be yet to come:

You can probably tell I get a sense of excitement looking for orchids and a rush when I find one, hoping it is something new and exciting.  While this is true I also just like being outside, taking a slow pace so I can spot the smaller more hidden gems.  I think my hastened pace in England was in part as there were very few plants in flower.  Also the ground cover and understorey was way thicker than over here making it impossible to spot anything underneath it, and possibly also preventing anything else being able to get established:

Fair to say the diversity in this reserve is amazing.  Quite a few plants were starting to come into flower, and as mentioned above there were signs of more orchid species getting ready to come out.  But the plants I found most fascinating today were those shown in the first image and the image below.  Despite their very distinctive and unusual, I assume, seed pods I was unable to identify either of them.  Some plants here have signs with their names on it, so next time I head this way I’ll have to check if I missed a sign for any of these two plants:

I was very lucky, and despite my dawdling it looked like I would remain dry.  Several dark ominous clouds skirted round the reserve and for much of the time I was bathed in sun.  That was until the last few hundred meters, when I must have been distracted looking at something.  I didn’t noticed the sky become grey and then blacken, until it was too late.  No matter, I came dressed for the occasion and was soon enough back in the car.  Thanks for the encouragement to get out today Mario: