Greenhood orchids

[Lori Tas]

Hi everyone. Our first crop of greenhood orchids are coming up.

Here's a photo I took yesterday and posted to wikipedia (any other
wikipedians?):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Bunochilus_melagrammus_(syn_Pterostylis_melagramma).jpg

If you are interested in seeing them, and others that are sure to pop
up soon, drop me an email. We live in Bagdad, just a few k's off the
Midlands hwy.

Cheers,
Lori

[Jenny Calder]

Hi all,

We had a very successful day at Pontville last Saturday - as well as
getting stuck into a whole heap of gorse (thanks to those who stayed
to help!), a previously unrecorded greenhood orchid was discovered.

The orchid has been identified as Pterostylis ziegeleri (listed as
vulnerable on the TSP Act, and under review on the EPBC Act -
recommended for Vulnerable).

That means there are now 14 threatened species that have been recorded
from the site, which highlights the conservation value of the site,
and how recent management changes (the removal of horses) have
benefited many of the threatened species on the site.

You may be interested that the exotic earth mite has been recorded as
having impact on the greenhoods at the Pontville Rifle Range site.
I've uploaded an article to on the Orchids Page on this website for
your interest.

I'll also upload some photos from the day.

Cheers,
Jen

[Lori Tas]

Thanks Jen for the heads-up about the mites. I read the paper and it
appears that our orchids are safe, i.e. they are not near our pastures
and not on sandy soils.But I'll still keep a wary eye out for damage.
The Green-lip Greenhoods (Pterostylis stenochila) have already set
seed [I took this photo yesterday -
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Pterostylis_stenochila_setting_seeds.jpg],
but the Black-stripped Greenhoods (Pterostylis melogramma) are still
going strong. Last year we had small patches of Maroonhoods and
Noddings, so I'm keeping a look out in those areas for another
flowering.

Orchids we've recorded thus far:
Glossodia Major (Waxlip)
Stegostyla gracilis (Musk)
Petilochilus carneus (Pink Fingers)
Chiloglottis reflexa (Autumn Bird)
Diuris pardina (Leopard)
Pterostylis pedunculata (Maroonhood)
Pterostylis nutans (Nodding Greenhood)
Pterostylis stenochila (Green-lip Greenhood)
Pterostylis melogramma (Black-stripped Greenhood)
Thelymitra ixioides (Spotted Sun)
Eriochilus cucullatus (Parson's Bands)

[Lori Tas]

The Leopard orchids are in bloom (Diuris pardina) - the first of which
you can see here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Diuris_pardina_08.jpg

And the Maroonhood are just coming up.