Easter Tripping

Like so many others I travel to see a different part of Australia when other commitments allow time away   ... to the bush on Eyre Peninsula in my own case.
I made the small rural town of Lock my base for exploring local Conservation Parks

 http://www.seasa.com.au/files/pdf/Eyre%20Peninsula.pdf

I travel in ALF and have the most wonderful times staying in the bush.

For the first time I took the ferry across Spencer Gulf, from Wallaroo to Lucky Bay (near Cowell) which almost halved the total driving time.

On my return I walked my own backyard bush and found this reminder of the annual cycle of life ... one of the terrestrial orchid's spent flowering / fruiting stems.

A Sun Orchid

"Parsons Bands" or "Autumn Rabbit" Orchid

Yesterday I found several tiny terrestrial orchids, known as Parsons Bands, flowering beneath the Oyster Bay pines (Callitris rhomboidea).


The 8 flowers I saw were all less than 2cm across and stood between 10 and 15cm tall.


These are generally found in this district from April through May, according to Mr Bob Bates, who has been helping me learn about them and has undertaken a survey of plants on the block.

More information here, on South Australia's online "herbarium" fact sheets.

http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/texhtml.cgi?form=speciesfacts&family=&genus=Eriochilus&species=cucullatus&iname=&submit=Display