Maybe despite better judgement, after my pretty big morning climbing, Lisa convinced me to walk the zig-zag with her, when she got home. This is a circuit she does with the Peppy Plungers, who are also known to walk up and down the lookout. The dogs were excited when their leads went on, but this is not a relaxing stroll. There is little time for sniffing. The pace is set with one aim, get the heart rate going. On the return leg there are various paths leading to the beach, and at each one they attempted to protest and try to lead us down to the sand:
On the plus side the brisk walk wears them out. Resulting in them not being so restless every time there is a sound in the garden during the night. Usually a possum, or sadly sometimes a cat from one of the neighbours that lets them roam. On the negative side my legs were even more achy, which led to me having a restless night. Compounded by the strong winds and waves. Sounds which seem to help Lisa sleep, but not me. The swell was up, and in the morning most of the Peppy Plungers were put off from going for a full immersion:
If you look closely in the first image can see them congregated on the beach. An image I took from the lookout. While it may seem contradictory to my thinking of the night before, I decided to head out for another walk, after leaving the Peppy Plungers to contemplate the dark tumbling waters. The dogs would probably have been happy to join me for my walk. I wasn’t aiming to get the heartrate up, but to watch the sunrise. It also included a return leg along the beach, where I eventually met up with Lisa so we could walk back togther:
Midmorning I ducked out again. Heading out in-between the squalls, which the less settled weather was sending our way. For an even slower paced walk, round the Capel Nature Reserve. After finding the Common Bunny Orchid (Eriochilis dilatatus subsp. multiflorus) yesterday, something inside told me to have a bash at seeing what this place had to offer. As can be seen above it is a relatively pristine bit of bush. Somehow the weeds have not invaded this place, and sure enough I came across some Common Bunny Orchids quite quickly:
The reserve doesn’t have set walking paths. There are a few maintenance tracks that criss-cross the area. My approach however is to go where it looks like it might be interesting. This leads me to weave all over the place, often getting completely disorientated and having no idea where I am. You have to walk slowly, it can be hard to spot orchids. Go to fast and you might miss out, or worse accidently stepping on them. It also takes a while to tune your vision into what you are looking for. There is no rushing, and only then will you be rewarded:
I would not say orchids were all over the place, but I saw quite a few Common Bunny Orchids. The next most abundant were the above Hare Orchids (Leporella fimbriata). I’ve only once seen a couple of plants previously, in Manea Park, so I was happy to see more here. As the image shows some of these had been out for a while, with the lower one having already been pollinated. Evident by the swollen ovary that sits between the flower and stem. There is also a Rabbit Orchid, just to complete the set. But they flower later, from September onwards:
A few Banded Greenhood (Pterostylis vittata), above, had also started to pop up. A couple even had flowers forming. These are the first of the Greenhood family to flower, and can be seen from April onwards. Then when May arrives, the Slender Snail Orchids start to appear. I spied a couple of basal leaves, but no flowers. There are also a few of the Shell Orchids that can pop up in May, and as yet I have never managed to find any of these. I was however treated with this Lutea (or albino) Common Bunny Orchid, which was pretty cool:
But not as good as the find shown below. A Leafless Orchid (Praecoxanthus aphyllus). The first time I have sighted one, and despite looking hard for over an hour it was the only one I found. This was the second species I came across today, but being the best find I have left it till last to show you. I was so excited that I could almost have given up and gone home there and then. If I had I would have missed out on so much more. The Capel Nature Reserve, in its near pristine state, has been a bit of a gold mine for me. And I have Ed at work to thank:
He let me in on this place a few years back, and today it once again had plenty on offer. My thermos mug of tea was drained, and happy with my finds I headed home. Taking in a quick stop to check the Tuart Forest National Park, hoping to find one of those Shell Orchids. Orchids aside, this is the largest remaining area of Tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) forest. So is pretty important, but unlike the Capel Nature Reserve it is heavily weed infested. They germinate early, out competing native ground cover plants. Including orchids, and I saw none:
Sandbagged 