Greetings fellow foxies,
Hare orchids (Leporella fimbriata, Latin - hare fringed), is the sole species in the Leporella genus, which flowers in autumn from southern WA to Victoria. They occur in dense patches of small egg-shaped leaves on the soil surface, from which only about 1 in 6 plants flower each year. Plants in the patches are clones. Near the end of each season each plant sends out two rhizome like droppers away from the stem, which sends down a tuber for a new plant.
There are only a few hare orchids in pale sandy soil in Foxes Lair, but lots on the southern end of the Highbury reserve trail in late May/early June.

Ant flights are infrequent, usually in humid weather before a front in autumn. Unfertilised hare orchid flowers compensate by staying open much longer than other orchids. As rainfall decreases and autumn rains become more variable hare orchids are likely to gradually retreat back towards the coast.

Greetings fellow foxies

Yesterday my wife Aileen and I were happily inspecting the effectiveness of erosion control and water spreading measures while rain was falling in in Foxes Lair. Aileen suggested that I should write down my reclamation tips for my successor (any offers?)
As in most small reserves, wildlife and plants in Foxes Lair have suffered greatly from European settlement. This blog showed that most of our soils are very water repellent but many native plants had exploited it to direct water to their roots. However water repellence greatly reduces seed germination. For regeneration, plants relied on periodic fires to reduce surface repellence, and the wealth of native burrowing animals such as bilbies, quendas and woylies to trap surface water. Early accounts mention that some areas of bush resembled ploughed paddocks. Alas most native animals have gone and water runs away. 

Access roads are another problem. They are too narrow for modern road graders to form roads up properly with two passes. Each time a road is graded, the road level is lowered,  and  water, which normally flows down a slope is diverted by the lowered road and the spoil bank. This starves slopes of water and causes excess stream flow. Narrogin shire has imported road making material to build up some eroded roads.
More sensitive road maintenance, burrowing animals and periodic burns are required. Feral pigs and rabbit cause great soil disturbance, but at great cost to agriculture and the environment.

​Narrogin's solution was to introduce a Dougosaurus. Considered by some to be a primitive tool-using hominid, he is an active digger and harmless unless provoked. He can even quite friendly if approached carefully! The digging is a cardio activity to increase lifespan, but he may forage for worms and witchetty grubs.

Can you spot him?

Here are some examples  of Dougosaurus activity, which can reduce the time between road grading.
​Frequent road drains reduce road erosion and return water to slopes

Where roads are too far below the road surface to use drains, rock barriers can be used to reduce water flow and trap silt.
Corrugations are best prevented by reducing traffic speed.
​Potholes tend to form on flat road sections. Without a compactor clay, sand or gravel fill is splashed out by tyres in wet weather. Experience has has shown that angular blue metal is the best material for drainage while staying in place.
Sand which accumulates in road side spur drains is not water repellent and often contain seeds. Seedling readily establish there, and the sand fast-racks seedling establishment when spread on bare areas.

Areas which have been bare for years are difficult to revegetate. Images below show how random Dougosaurus shovel scoops trap water, ground litter and seeds, which often enable new plants to establish. The process can take years.

Greetings fellow foxies,
Bunny orchids Eriochilus species are endemic to Australia, with six of the eight species occurring in the south-west of Western Australia. In Foxes Lair  the common bunny orchid Eriochilus multiflorus subsp. multiflorus and crinkle-leaf bunny orchid Eriochilus multiflorus subsp. undulatus are flowering now. The common bunny orchid has more flowers per head, prefers gravel soils, and and begins flowering about a week earlier than crinkle-leaf. Flowers have a delightful structure.

After taking many closeup images to see if I could find any difference in flower structure (no), I was mystified by the anther placement. Anthers are covered by a 2 part cover (anther hood), which sits almost directly on top of the cave-like stigma. I couldn't figure out how a bee entering the stigma could come into contact with pollen. Examination of flowers at all stages  of maturity showed no difference in the closed anther hood, although I did find pollen inside a finishing flower. Luckily I found  a broken stem with  wilted flowers and brought the sample back for dissection.

Aha, The dissection revealed a pollinium under the anther hood. Here the single anther produces sacs of pollen connected by a filament to a sticky disc called a viscidium. The viscidum dangles out of the anther hood and sticks on a bee that touches it. The bee flies away with the dangling pollen sac and carries it into the next flower's stigma. in the last image below, pollen sacs have been deposited next to the dying flower's stigma. One has burst to release pollen.

I have found three species, all on well-drained soils. Persoonia quinquinervis is a common root-suckering species, which occurs in large patches in Foxes Lair. I also found a similar species Persoonia trinervis at Candy Block.

Persoonia longifolia the definitive 'snottygobble, is graceful small tree that grows on gravel uplands in the Darling Range. "When opened, the small, sweet fruit is mucous-like and green hence the first part of its rather singular name.  The ‘gobble’ part apparently originated when pioneers observed pigs hastily consuming the fruit."
I have been trying to taste the disgusting looking but tasty drupe for years, but haven't managed to find one at the right stage