Plants
Orchids
Sighting 4510074

Caladenia actensis

Canberra Spider Orchid at suppressed

Caladenia actensis at suppressed - 10 Sep 2023
Caladenia actensis at suppressed - 10 Sep 2023
Caladenia actensis at suppressed - 10 Sep 2023
Caladenia actensis at suppressed - 10 Sep 2023
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Identification history

Caladenia actensis 17 Sep 2023 MattM
Caladenia actensis 17 Sep 2023 petersan

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User's notes

Small leaf and bud. Cages a bit overgrown.

11 comments

waltraud wrote:
   8 Aug 2024
petersan I'm afraid Office of Nature Conservation staff no longer check the cages.
MattM wrote:
   9 Aug 2024
@waltraud then the cages are probably no longer appropriate. Some grazing pressure to remove the competing vegetation will benefit the orchids.
waltraud wrote:
   9 Aug 2024
MattM Agree. Similar the fenced sites, I suggested for a long time to either burn or open the fences for some grazing or remove biomass manually - unfortunately it seems that neither PCS nor ONC takes notice or cares. I took out Cootamundra wattles from time to time, see for instance Acacia baileyana (Cootamundra Wattle, Golden Mimosa) and haven't observed the orchid in the overgrown fenced sites in the last years. I notified ONC.
petersan wrote:
   9 Aug 2024
I would clear the cages but not sure about interfering. One thing the cages and fences seem to show is that grazing may have its benefits.
waltraud wrote:
   9 Aug 2024
yes petersan; it might change though when returning ElNino events / dry conditions lead to less grass growth and kangaroos do their bit. I assume the rhizomes are still there since they can persist for quite a while.
cc MattM
MattM wrote:
   10 Aug 2024
Yes. The rhizome should persist for several years, however the plants do need to produce leaves to photosynthesize at some point. I know species such as Prasophyllum brevilabre can remain dormant for decades, however I do not know how many years Caladenia will persist.
SteveBorkowskis wrote:
   10 Aug 2024
I would recommend contacting the patch Ranger before doing anything in this space, there may be plans in place.
waltraud wrote:
   11 Aug 2024
SteveBorkowskis we rarely get a response and I'm not sure whether the patch ranger has changed as they do frequently; so who is our patch ranger right now?
petersan wrote:
   12 Aug 2024
Today I checked but could not find any C actensis leaves in this cage or nearby. Three others cages hidden away nearby away from paths do have leaves despite being badly overgrown.
waltraud wrote:
   12 Aug 2024
petersan I met Kristy of the office of nature conservation today and she said ONC will attend to the orchids - I understand removing the cages and the biomass in fenced areas.
waltraud wrote:
   12 Aug 2024
It might be a touch early for the orchids - expect end of August begin Sept. Also it is rather dry the past 3 months May-July all below average rain, particularly July and close to nothing so far in August (late autumn and winter rain are important for the orchids) - it is either to much (resulting in heavy growth of shadowing grass) or to little ....

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