• About

morselsandscraps

~ my Potato Point life

morselsandscraps

Category Archives: orchids

orchids

On Nerrigundah Ridge

14 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by morselsandscraps in orchids, photos

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Nerrigundah Ridge, Thelychiton speciosus

If you want to walk with me this Sunday morning, you’ll need sturdy walking boots and an even sturdier walking stick, preferably an old friend made from spotted gum and smoothed over the years by the grip of your sweaty palms. The terrain is rough and rocky, but the rewards are tremendous. The air is palpable and the silence intense. Mountains loom beyond the trees, and the gullies drop steeply from the dirt road. It’s only fifteen kilometres from yesterday’s sandy walk, and it is a completely different world.

Watching my footing with extreme care, I climb up the rocky ridge, through lichen-covered rocks, over fallen trees and through fountains of grass. Rocks wriggle under my feet, but my walking stick steadies me. At the top of the ridge I begin to look for sprays of rock lilies, a pilgrimage I make nearly every year in spring. They grow mostly on rocky outcrops, cunningly positioned out of the reach of marauding animals and therefore difficult for humans to get at too. I proceed with extreme caution, sitting down and bracing myself against the rough rock-face before I start photographing. The road is far below now.

The drive back home is slow, and I notice signs of spring flowering: white paper flowers and wonga vine; puple hardenbergia, kangaroo apple, and flag lily (still elegantly furled); pinky-purple indigofera; and creamy brush kurrajong.

Today’s gourmet meal, brunch by the time I eat, is kushari and salad, much of it plucked from the new garden thriving beyond the water tank, including year-round tomatoes.

 

Watch out for wriggling rocks

 

My shadow proves that I was there

 

Out to the Great Dividing Range

 

Ridge conglomerate

 

Rock decorations

 

Rock orchid buds

 

Thelychiton speciosus

 

Spotted throats

 

Orchids and grass

 

Thelychiton habit ... and the pesky morning light

 

More Thelychiton

 

On the rocky hillside above the road

 

 

 

 

Posted with BlogsyPosted with Blogsy

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • January 2015
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011

Categories

  • about blogging
  • archaeology
  • art
  • Australian native orchids
  • Australian wildflowers
  • autobiography
  • beach
  • Black and White Sunday
  • boating
  • books
  • botany
  • Canberra
  • city
  • confession
  • confessions
  • country towns
  • Eurobodalla bush
  • Eurobodalla National Park
  • farewells
  • fire
  • Four Winds Festival, Bermagui
  • fungi
  • illustration
  • journeys
  • last post
  • learning Polish
  • Matisse
  • memoir
  • memories
  • memory
  • movies
  • museums
  • music
  • musings
  • National Parks
  • nature
  • novels
  • occasional pieces
  • on the beach
  • orchids
  • paperbark
  • photography
  • photos
  • phototheme
  • plants
  • Poland
  • Poland in Australia
  • Potato Point
  • Potato Point beach
  • return to Warsaw
  • ruminations
  • sculpture
  • seasonal celebration
  • short stories
  • small pleasures
  • somethng new
  • South Jemison's beach
  • Spencer Albert Small
  • street art
  • Swamp fire trail
  • Thursday's special
  • travel
  • travel theme
  • Tuross River
  • twins
  • Uncategorized
  • video
  • walking
  • words
  • wrong again!

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blogroll

  • A photographer explores suburbs of Sydney and beyond
  • An Australian living in Poland
  • Discuss
  • Get Inspired
  • Get Polling
  • Get Support
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • Theme Showcase
  • WordPress Planet
  • WordPress.com News

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy