Some may consider that just thinking about heading out for a wander at the Capel Nature Reserve was not appropriate, on today of all days. Lisa was however heading to F45, her usual workout class, for the first time in several weeks. She’s been figuring out a back injury, and is just starting to get to grips with what does and does not trigger it and how to manage it. As such, and under instruction from her physio, she has been given the green light to head back. Leaving me an hour and half or more to sneak out by myself, where I was hit with colour:
Where I began my walk White Myrtle (Hypocalymma angustifolium) and Orange Stars (Hibbertia stellaris) carpeted the area. Continuing on, it was hard not to get distracted by all the orchids species. All mentioned in recent posts, and while I couldn’t help myself and took lots of images I will refrain from including them here. Just like Lisa was this morning, I was on a mission so had to keep going. All season I’ve been banging on about a particular endangered species of orchid. I spotted the leaves in April and I have been eagerly awaiting the flowers:
Not wanting to miss out on seeing the Glossy-leaved Hammer Orchid (Drakaea elastica) in all its glory was the main driving factor for this morning’s visit. Since April, each time I have come back I have seen more plants. Despite seeing so many leaves very few have formed spikes, and some of those have since been damaged. Above is a clump I have been observing most regularly, with one bud just opening. Even at the area with the greatest abundance of leaves, where someone has been placing cages to protect them, only a few look like they will flower:
One was however out, and looked stunning in the early morning light. Needless to say I was one happy bunny. In total I’ve been lucky enough to have found four species of the hammer orchid. One back in 2022 during an overnight trip further to the south, and this season I’ve bagged the three species whose range extends into our local area. Images taken this season of the other two are shown below, for comparison sake. Being the Warty Hammer Orchid (Drakaea livida) and King-in-his-carriage (Drakaea glyptodon):
Back home after my success I was greeted by Lisa hobbling round the corner. It seemed she had not been successful and done herself in again, until she smirked and gave her ruse away. The cheeky bugger. This meant our plans to head out for breakfast at the South West Bottega to celebrate today was still on. A relaxed munch with a game of king cribbage was on the cards, after which we felt the need to walk the food down. Ambergate Nature Reserve is just down the road, offering the perfect destination with a level path to avoid any back issues:
The walk is neatly spilt into four sections, and as if knowing what day it was the Rusty Spider Orchids (Caladenia ferruginea) were shooting up all over the place. A bit like party poppers firing confetti into the air. We lost count of how many we saw, which really surprised me as I saw no trace of even their spikes on my last visit. Lisa was very happy to see them but felt I was barking up the wrong tree when I showed her at least two Carbunup King Spider Orchids (Caladenia procera) in the party mix. One shown above with a Rusty Spider Orchid behind it:
With all the spinal references above, you may be wondering how Lisa managed our walk yesterday. In answer, a little painfully. During that walk she did however suss out how to release the tension whenever it came on. By more frequently applying the technique, todays wander was way more enjoyable. Each time she felt the need to take on the squat pose, it also allowed my eyes to drift a bit longer. This meant I found the above Common Mignonette Orchid (Microtis media) for which both the common and genus names mean small:
This was spotted in the second quarter of the walk, as well as the above Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos viridi). Despite being native to south western coastal regions it is the first time we have seen the green variety in the wild. The Red-and-Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii) is the one that is the most prolifically found. The flowers that tickled Lisa’s fancy the most on this section, which we didn’t see in the others, were the Pink Fairies (Caladenia latifolia). Looking like pretty bows used to top a ribbon on a present:
As there had been during this morning’s wander we saw lots in flower, so I’ve sneakily doubled up a few images. Crossing the road into the third quarter, the vegetation changed again. In this section it was the Donkey Orchids time to stand out. Like the Pink Fairies they were only in a small area, it is funny how that happens. However, the two most colourful species were out, being the Dunsborough Donkey Orchid (Diuris jonesii) and Purple Pansy Orchid (Diuris longifolia). On display like a bowl of candy’s, a sweet treat on a special day:
The last leg can at times feel a little lame in comparison, when it comes to finding orchids. Today was no exception. Then Lisa stopped dead in her tracks. Not because her back spasmed. Ahead of us was a Quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), happily nibbling the grass on the side of the track. We stood quietly for what felt like ages watching it until it had enough and headed off. Seeing it felt like a real gift. Finishing the walk it was back to the South West Bottega for lunch and game of scrabble. If you hadn’t guessed by now, happy birthday Lisa:
Sandbagged 