Alpine flora

At Falls Creek we were able to search for alpine plants in various communities - bogs, pasture, under snow gums and lower down the mountain in a mixed forest. In the alps spring arrives in summer so most of the plants were flowering. It was all looking beautiful.

Alpine Orites Orites lancifolia

Mueller's Snow-Gentian Chionogentias muelleriana ssp. muelleriana

Sky Lily Herpolirion novae-zelandiae

Alpine Leek Orchid Prasophyllum tadgellianum

Silver Ewartia Ewartia nubigena

Stiff Dislaspis Dislaspis hydrocotyle

Carpet Heath Pentachondra pumila

 Flax Linum marginale

 Common Billy Buttons Craspedia sp.

Insects of the high country

These are a few of the insects and spiders we found in the alpine pastures around Falls Creek last weekend. Identification pending at the moment, except for the brilliant Spotted Mountain Grasshopper Monistria concinna.

High country

With damaging floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales, and the forecast of very high rainfall in west and central Victoria we decided to head for the high country.

No, the truth is the Geelong Field Nats' camp at Falls Creek in the alps had been organised weeks beforehand. We drove up to the ski lodge on Thursday, an extremely humid day, and on Friday it rained continuously so we couldn't get out into the field at all. It's the first time I've played board games at a camp!

Saturday and Sunday were perfect. The Snow Gums are recovering from the fires that went through several years ago but the sculptural beauty of their skeletons was breathtaking. We thoroughly enjoyed looking for plants and insects we never see in our patch.

Sky Lily Herpoliron novae-zelandiae 

Yellow Kunzea Kunzea muelleri

Alpine Trachymene Trachymene humilis

To be continued...