Paul & Kerri-LeeOctober 05, 2022

Yambulla–Wallagaraugh road trip

Paul & Kerri-LeeOctober 05, 2022

A day trip photo essay

3rd October, 2022

Featured

Grevillea parvula
Restricted to our region and nearby Victoria (ie south of Eden, along the Towamba, Wallagaraugh & Genoa rivers). In Victoria this is listed as an endangered species.

a second uncommon Grevillea

Grevillea neurophylla
Another exciting find. This is listed as endangered, at least in Victoria. And in NSW it is confined to this tiny corner of the state, where it is certainly not common.

Common Beard-Heath

Leucopogon virgatus

Daviesia

Daviesia buxifolia (Box-leaf Bitter-Pea)
In NSW, this plant is only found south of Tuross River. It grows on acidic soils. There are remarkably few records in iNaturalist … 18 in total, and half are in the Imlay-Nadgee-Yambulla locale. The others are around the Avon wilderness of Victoria.

Pultenaea

Pultenaea mollis
This species is not often recorded in our region. Yet another special sighting on a rather special day.

Pultenaea

Pultenaea mollis

Platylobium

Platylobium parviflorum

Platylobium

Platylobium parviflorum

Platylobium

Platylobium parviflorum

Dillwynia

Dillwynia rudis

Gippsland Water Dragon

Intellagama lesuerii ssp. howittii

Gippsland Water Dragon

Intellagama lesuerii ssp. howittii

Yellow-bellied Water Skink

Eulamprus heatwolei
A common skink, but only named as a distinct species in 1984 … after a rather infamous (and questionable) taxonomic review! (makes interesting reading - click here for Wikipedia)

Common Flatwing

Austroargiolestes icteromelas ssp. icteromelas
One of the more common damselflies in our local forests during spring.

Common Flatwing

Austroargiolestes icteromelas ssp. icteromelas

Metallic Ringtail

Austrolestes cingulatus
A much rarer sighting. This damselfly tends to be found among waterside vegetation, but almost never near the coast.

Metallic Ringtail

Austrolestes cingulatus
We have seen this species in our region once before … at this same location, back in Dec 2018.

Metallic Ringtail

Austrolestes cingulatus
Just one more shot … damselflies and dragonflies are addictive for photographers.

Merimbula Star-hair

Astrotricha sp. Wallagaraugh
Listed as endangered in NSW, and known from only 3 locations … Merimbula, Tura Beach … and the Wallagaraugh

Merimbula Star-hair

Astrotricha sp. Wallagaraugh
These appear to be buds rather than fruit. The reported flowering time is Oct-Dec, so that would make sense.

Pomaderris buds

Pomaderris … not enough detail to identify it to species. We should have taken more notice of the leaves.

Pomaderris flowers

Pomaderris … not enough detail to identify it to species.

Velvet Bush

Lasiopetalum macrophyllum

Hover Fly

Melangyna viridiceps … the most common local species.

crab spider in ambush mode

male Australomisidia pilula on Fringed Everlasting daisy (Chrysocephalum baxteri)

Crab spider

Australomisidia pilula is a common species locally

Fringed Everlasting

Chrysocephalum baxteri … perhaps drooping due to maturity, and the weight of developing seeds. Like sunflowers.

A tiny Lynx spider ... on a glorious grevillea

Like crab spiders (family Thomisidae), Lynx spiders (family Oxypodidae) are ambush hunters. This one, just the size of an ant, was clearly waiting for unwary (but small) insect visitors to the flowers.

Dampiera ... with spider's web

Dampiera stricta

Raspwort

Gonocarpus teucrioides

A brief stop on the way home to check out the roadside Leptospermum ... where we discovered a flock of duck orchids, plus two more uncommon plants.

Featured

Large Flying Duck Orchid

Caleana major … one of several growing roadside

unopened sun orchid

Thelymitra sp.

Large Flying Duck Orchid

Caleana major

Checkered Beetle

Eleale aspera (family: Cleridae) … grabbing a feed of pollen while on the lookout for a mate. These beetles rarely gather in large numbers, but when they do it is around flowers such as this. We saw just this one.

Triggerplant

Stylidium sp. The first flower to open on this plant, and the first we have seen this spring.

Large Flying Duck Orchid

Caleana major

Wedding Bush

Ricinocarpos pinifolius

tiny flies

perhaps an unfamiliar hover fly, but not sure … yet

Triggerplant

Stylidium sp.

Wedding Bush

Ricinocarpos pinifolius

Paint Brush

Conospermum taxifolium … family Proteaceae, somewhat surprisingly. We associate Conospermum (‘smokebushes’) with WA, but this species is an east-coast endemic.

Leionema

Leionema diosmeum … (family: Rutaceae). Another species we’ve not noticed around here before. It has been recorded nearby (Narrabarba) and further north around Barren Grounds – but it’s clearly not common.

Leionema

Leionema diosmeum

Heath Teatree

Leptospermum myrsinoides … with beetle

Paul & Kerri-Lee