Many people have recently been noticing attractive groups of Banded Greenhood, Pterostylis sanguinea, flowering along the track edges.
Banded Greenhood
These are distinctive greenhood orchids with their reddish-brown nodding flowers with the joined lateral sepals almost forming a circle. The flower stem has a number of spreading leaves, similar to the Tall Greenhood but with broader leaves. Non-flowering plants produce a basal rosette of five to six flat leaves. With ample autumn and early winter rains there should be a good percentage of flowering plants so keep a look out for these on your walks in heathy woodlands.
Margaret MacDonald and Alison Watson