A Feast of Wildflowers: Outing to Cooloola's Wallum Wonderland

First port of call -East Mullens Lookout, a very rocky area, where a fair amount of time was spent, both for wildflower spotting and enjoying morning tea and a chat. Visitors need to tread very carefully, to avoid tiny flowers and sharp rocks.

There are orchids here somewhere

Ahh! The perfect shot

Tea enjoyed and plans shared

 An interesting range of wildflowers were observed including several ground Orchids : the Yellow Donkey Orchid, Small Wax-lip, Pink Fingers, and Onion Orchid, a spike of pink flower of the Grass Trigger Plant, a large clump of Mirbelia with tiny dark pink pea-like flowers, and 2 different Hakea: Wallum Hakea, actites ,with sharply pointed leaves and clusters of small white flowers, looking a little like Grevillea flowers, and Hakea benthamii (previously plurinervia) with broad, obviously-veined leaves and flowers arranged up the stem in a spiral. 

Glossodia major - Wax Lip Orchid

Stylidium graminifolium - Grass Trigger

Mirbelia rubifolia

Hakea benthamii

Diuris sulphurea

 Next stop,  Cooloola Cove: Mullens Creek area, an interesting site where Jean had previously found the red Tailed Helmet Orchids which flower mainly in June, but we were able to find lots of leaves and a single flowering specimen. Also in flower were Banksia robur, Banksia spinulosa, Grevillea reptans, Davesia, Dillwynia, and others.
 

Tailed helmet orchid (Corybas) sp.

Grevillea reptans

Broad- leaved Banksia (Banksia robur)

 (Banksia spinulosa)

Daviesia umbellulata

Poverty Point: The next area visited was Poverty Poing although some of the group did not attempt to journey to this area due to the access road's soft sandy nature.  This was a shame as some members, therfore, missed out on the masses of the Cooloola Wax flower, Boronias and Flying Duck Orchids which were on view at this location.
 

Cooloola Wax flower

Eriostemon australasius

Caleana major

Wallum Boronia (B.falcifolia)

Cooloola Way - First pumping station:The group met up again at the turn off to the pumping station on the Cooloola Track. This was our lunch spot and an excellent area for wildflowers with a wide variety of Wallum flowers spotted including the White Donkey orchids , Sun orchid (Thelymitra pauciflora), and the Small Wallum Trigger Plant. Cooloola Wax Flower, Boronia rivularis  

The final area was the pumping station at Teewah Creek – some went to look for Ground parrots and others went down to the creek where they spotted a Boronia which we thought might be the rediscovered (1972)  Keys Boronia, a plant thought to have been extinct since 1909, which is now the floral emblem of Noosa Shire. Unfortunately this was not the case but turned out to be B.rivularis the Wide Bay Boronia with opposite leaves where the Keysii has its leaves in triplet form. 

Thelymitra pauciflora

                                             

Boronia rivularis

(Burchardia umbellata)

Vanilla Lily

Diuris alba

                                        

Devil's Rice (Conospermum taxifolium)

Orchid detectives

Excursion leader: Ian Smith

Photographers: Bev McKay, Ian Smith, Rahima Farnham, Cameron Whiley, Field Nats Archives.