This year’s Metallic Sun Orchid (Thelymitra epipactoides) count was again very disappointing.  This spectacular large orchid has a thick fleshy grey-green leaf to 25cm with an inflorescence to 50cm.  The flowering stalk can bear up to 20 large bronze, pink, green or blue flowers with a metallic sheen.  The flowers only open on bright sunny days.  The plant mostly grows in coastal areas, but much of its habitat has been destroyed for agriculture.  It is now classified as endangered.  This area at Blond Bay has had over 10? years drought.  The original small fenced enclosure has not been penetrated by wombats, but is heavily overgrown with Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia), Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii), grasses and sedges.  It needs burning or grazing at the appropriate time of the year when the orchids are dormant.  The outer much larger enclosure has been breached by wombats, and rabbits as well have entered.  We found 7 orchids in the inner smaller enclosure, 10 in the big section and 6 outside the fence; giving a total of 23 plants.  Last year 2008 we counted 20.  In 2007 the number was 136, and the largest number was 261 in 2005 (was this before the enclosure was extended??).  Outside one boundary fence and near Black Sheoak (Allocasuarina littoralis) were the small white lily Early Nancy (Wurmbea dioica) which is very like Milkmaids (Burchardia umbellata), but the tepals have a distinctive purple nectary band near their bases.  Across the road from the fenced site is a large swamp called Fiddians in which the Metallic Sun Orchid has been found before, but only one was seen!

Just a little south towards Lake Victoria on the same road we paused to see the Red-beak or Undertaker Orchid (Pyrorchis nigricans).  This orchid has a single large leathery leaf which lays flat on the ground.  The white and red striped flowers have the dorsal sepal forming a pointed hood, and the labellum margins are deeply fringed.  There were masses of leaves, with some very large, and a few flowers.  This species mostly flowers after a bushfire.  ‘Pyr’ is Greek for fire.  All parts of the plant die to black, which accounts for the second common name.  There was also Silky Guinea-flower (Hibbertia sericea), Daphne Heath (Brachyloma daphnoides), a small shrub with blunt oblong leaves and sweet-scented white tubular flowers, and Common Rice-flower (Pimelea humilis).  Across the road in a presumably sometimes wetter environment were some tiny plants of Austral adder’s-tongue (Ophioglossum lusitanicum).  This small plant (3-15cm) has up to 4 fronds.  Each frond consists of a leaf-like lamina, and a taller spike with pairs of sporangia in which spores are produced.  Austral adder’s-tongue is in a primitive family of ferns, the Ophioglossaceae.  The only other genus of this family present in Victoria is Moonwort (Botrychium), a species of which, Austral moonwort (B. australe) we have seen several times, including in the Colquhuon Forest.

Thank you once again, James.