26/06/24 Flora & Fungi survey: Yellingbo

Notes from: a Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater hosted citizen science event.
The cold winter morning didn't daunt us. We were looking for a patch of nine Small-tongue orchids that we'd recorded for the first time in January, with the aim of protecting them from browsing animals (deer - groan!!). Our Citizen Science Flora survey team first found three individuals of this species in Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area in August 2023. This recent patch takes our total count to just twelve individuals known - precious indeed!
They were proving elusive however. "Is this it?", Peter asked. It wasn't, but he'd found a patch of eight Red Beaks, another species of orchid that we didn't know existed at YNCA until this time last year when a small patch of five individuals were recorded by our Flora survey members in a different part of YNCA, but in similar habitat.
Both Red Beaks and Small-tongue orchids are uncommon in this region. In fact, we think Red Beaks are unknown. Peter would be the first to say, "I don't know much about plants", but his find is significant. We have now protected these patches of orchids from browsing animals, giving them a fighting chance of persisting into the future.
Anyone, no matter their level of knowledge can, and do, contribute to our Flora surveys. We've just reached a landmark - over 10,000 observations for our 'Yellingbo and surrounds' iNat project. Great work team!

Posted on July 3, 2024 06:13 AM by regnans