Two part day - Casula orchids and Seven Mile Beach NP ride : September 5 2025

A different day lining up. My wife needs to visit her father's place to get documents for wining up his estate. Drop off first to deliver a cupboard for her brother plus some new clothes. We did that - dropped me off to walk a local track while she went to her father's place

Walked Bellbird Track in Leacock Regional Park - feels like a piece of farm land given over as a nature reserve

Got close to the blue heron. It would notnpoae once I got camera out. Path drops doen toward the creek - feels like a Swiss meadow

Blue pimpernel in the grass

Pea flower also at ground level

A cluster of white - headache vine

Close up - Clematis glycinoides

Onion grass - a weed introduced from elsewhere

Australian bluebell - wahlenbergia gracilis

View from up high all the way to Sydney city

Bird's-eye speedwell - an introduced species

Dropped down to the bike path that runs along the railway line - did find this rosette in the undergrowth

And found a few flowers open - blunt-tipped greenhood.

Took some effort to get a front on photo - pterostylis curta with its twisted labellum

A few readers here like train photos - passenger train. I did notice a high level roadway structure above the electrified line. Not a road and now electric lines. Figured it was the diesel goods line

Evidence - container goods train running along

Walked back via the road - a bit of modern Aboriginal art on the way

Read the history board for the area - land was bought by Glenfield family after the original grant. Warehouse still standing

Homestead too - one of the oldest continuously farmed properties in Australia. Made a good spot for my wife to pick me up as it is on the way to our target

Funnily enough, my wife used to play tennis here as a kid. This was her backyard

Drove from there to Shoalhaven Heads - was really tired but did get on the bike to look for orchids. Had to get out to stay awake

Did find a lady fingers orchid close to start of the walk - all in the pink form - caladenia catenata

Over the shoulder showing some colour on the dorsal sepal

Folded up petal

Budding form showing the single leaf well

Pea flower

Now for the greehood ID challenge - two types that are very similar - sizenof helmet and angle of said helmet seem to be key. There was a spider resident here

A bit more front on - can just see the legs

Matching rosette

Top of the helmet points upward - not parallel to the ground. Length of the helmet is about the same. Developing a theory - the helmet extends when the plant is pollinated. Clue: the seed capsule is forming below the helmet

Front on - shorter helmet and labellum closer to the yoke

Matching rosette and acianthus orchid leaf

Labellum looks a bit more separate in this plant

Capsule clearly forming

Caladenia catenata with bug attendant

A few shade differences - touch of purple

More pink

Deeper pink altogether

Side on - no other colours in the column

Native violet on a side track - for my granddaughter Violette

Good to get back on the bike in the country

Dinner: Pizza with cutter to honour the Vuelta
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Cycling, Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking

Height 183.0 cm		Weight 90.0 kg		Body Fat %
Waist cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm