First quick Far East Gippsland winter orchid scout of the year only came up with a single nodding greenhood (Pterostylis nutans) in flower. No plants at all out at several sites which normally feature large colonies of greenhoods/helmets in July.

Local winter rainfall is so far down a fair bit compared to recent good post-fire seasons so could already be an issue heading into a potentially hot/dry spring and summer. Hopefully some better late-winter rainfall will pick things up but not seeing much on the forecast at the moment!

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField #Winter #EastGippsland

Eriochilus cucullatus - Eastern Bunny Orchid (Parson's Bands) near Genoa, VIC. I usually call this as an autumn orchid but it can seen flowering in VIC between January and June - depending on location / altitude. Mostly small, single flowers out at this location - apart from these two ;)

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField #Autumn #EastGippsland

The local ghost fungi have had their eerie noctural display curtailed by a couple of hot days - but they were great while they lasted! Have seen a few in the day in recent wetter years but not gone back to take any night photos - so was good to get a few bioluminescence snaps this year.

Omphalotus nidiformis near Corunna, NSW.

#Fungi #WildOz #Biodiversity #Ecology #Photography #InTheField #Autumn #Fungus

A touch of bioluminescence in the forest last night - ghost fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis) on an old stump at Corunna, NSW. They are actually still pretty showy in the day but get really interesting when the sun sets ... #Fungi

#WildOz #Biodiversity #Ecology #Photography #InTheField #Autumn #Fungus

Corunastylis sp. (midge orchid) near Braidwood, NSW. Larger flowers + longer sepals & labellum than other similar dark-flowering midge orchids nearby (like C. ostrina) but also probably slightly different to C. superba which has the largest flowers of the genus. Didn't see any out flowering this year - so still filed under #mysterymidges for now.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

Corunastylis oligantha (Mongarlowe midge orchids) near Half Moon, NSW. Only a few plants seen this year at this location with most flowering either finished or just finishing up heading into autumn.

Corunastylis are often pollinated by small flies attracted to flowers with a scent which mimics leaking blood/fluid from injured or dead insects. I presume the ants sometimes seen on the flowers are also attracted by the same scent.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Autumn #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

First butterfly of the morning in slightly dewy grassland near Braidwood, NSW. (Meadow Argus - Junonia villida).

# Summer #Butterfy #Insects #Biodiversity #Ecology #Photography #InTheField

Mongarlowe midge orchids - Corunastylis oligantha - near Mongarlowe, NSW... story checks out ;) Only known from limited populations but not uncommon in some locations in good seasons. No plants at all out in some regular sites this year - only saw a handful of plants out at a spot nearby where I haven't seen them before. Not sure if this complete lack of plants is down to recent weather or a change in the mowing / slashing regime at the regular site - which is much more overgrown with native grasses this year.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

Eriochilus cucullatus - Eastern Bunny Orchid (Parson's Bands) near Braidwood, NSW. Fairly common in Eastern NSW + ACT - usually more of an autumn-flowering orchid at this location with only a handful of plants up and out at this location so far.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Autumn #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

First butterfly photo of the day - a slight reprise ... Eastern Iris-skipper (Mesodina halyzia) on heath milkwort (Comesperma ericinum) in open heathland near Genoa, VIC. Lots of these medium sized skippers out and about in the summer sun at this location.

#InTheField #Summer #WildOz #Insects #Wildlife #Butterflies #EastGippsland

Cryptostylis subulata (large tongue orchids) plus pollinators near Genoa, VIC. These summer-flowering orchids mimic the appearance and odour of a female Lissopimpla excelsa wasp (orchid dupe or red flower wasp) which tricks male wasps into 'mating' with the flower - leading to pollination.

Most flowering has now finished at this location but some plants still had a single open flower to attract the wasps. The relative lack of flowers to wasps might have contributed to 2 x males attracted to the same flower in the top photo.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Pollination #Wasps #Insects #Photography #EastGippsland #InTheField

First butterfly photo of the morning turned out to be a little more dramatic than it initially looked when things transformed into first butterfly + praying mantid photo of the morning ... Genoa, VIC.

I think this is a Tenodera australasiae - Purple-winged mantid - with a Trapezites symmomus - Splendid Ochre ?

#InTheField #Summer #WildOz #Insects #Wildlife #EastGippsland

Gippsland Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howitti) keeping an eye on things this morning at Genoa Falls, East Gippsland VIC.

#InTheField #Summer #Reptiles #Dragons #Wildlife #EastGippsland

Spiranthes australis (Austral Ladies Tresses) near Northangera, NSW - the most robust example of this summer-flowering orchid I've seen so far this season. Very few out this year (so far) at this and several other nearby locations - and most flower spikes seen have been relatively smaller than usual.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

Purple Midge Orchids (Corunastylis ostrina) near Braidwood, NSW. Like most midge orchids the flowers on this uncommon species are tiny - the whole flower head is about the size of a thumbnail. So they are generally hard to spot. Many midge orchids also tend to only flower after seasonal rain so they can be even trickier to find in drier years (which has no doubt contributed to the majority of the 60+ species found in NSW/ACT being classified as either poorly known or rare!)

I only saw a handful of single C. ostrina plants on this trip at several locations where there are usually more out - possibly due to recent drier summer conditions (compared to the last couple of wetter years). I also didn't see any of the other 4 or 5 midge orchid species that can usually be found in this area from late summer into autumn. But with good rain this week they might still be out a little later in the month. More scouting required :)

#Orchids #OzPlants #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

Spiranthes australis (Austral Ladies Tresses) near Braidwood, NSW - just a single rarer pale/white form growing alongside typical pink-flowering plants. Not as many orchids as usual out so far at this year at this location - couldn't find any of the local midge orchids (Corunastylis) which have been out in good numbers in early February over the last couple of years at this location. Might be due to recent drier summer conditions.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

Large tongue orchids - Cryptostylis subulata - in swampy grassland near Monga, NSW. This widespread summer-flowering species has a very long flowering period for a terrestrial orchid with plants often in flower for more than two months. At this location flowering started at the end of Nov this year but looks like some plants could continue flowering into the end of Feb / start of March now.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

Large tongue orchids - Cryptostylis subulata - in swampy grassland near Monga, NSW. This widespread summer-flowering species has a very long flowering period for a terrestrial orchid with plants often in flower for more than two months. At this location flowering started at the end of Nov this year but looks like some plants could continue flowering into the end of Feb / start of March now.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #InTheField

One of those moments #InTheField when everyone is working at full tilt, making sure the observations are completed at a site before moving on to the next one.

#SeaIce NW #Greenland

#FridayFieldPhoto

Ad here is a new quick post: he countdown has begun and I'm in a #Fieldwork frame of mind.

(HT @tutam for the #FieldPhotoFriday reminder!)

https://sternaparadisaea.net/2023/01/12/expedition-frame-of-mind/

The fairly uncommon pink-flowering form of the Veined Sun Orchid (Thelymitra cyanea) growing alongside more typical blue-flowering plants near Namadgi NP, ACT. Small, scattered populations of this distinctive sun orchid grow in sphagnum moss bogs and flower in mid-summer at this location.

#Orchids #Summer #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #OzPlants #Canberra #InTheField