My sister, Lorraine and her hubby Ken are visiting us for a few days, so today we head out west to Cascade Falls. We are joined by our son Jace and his little family. The water is flowing nicely now it’s mid winter. The grandkids enjoy playing with all the foam caused by the water cascading over the granite rocks. After exploring the shore we set up on a flat area for a picnic lunch.

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The little family head home whilst us oldies head off further west on an orchid hunt. This is a first for Lorraine and Ken, so let’s hope we have a successful hunt. We visit Cascade Nature Reserve and go for a check in the scrub/woodlands. With luck I come across some Dwarf shell orchids (Pterostylis brevichila), which we had found here previously. Not as many but still very happy to find them again. Dwarf shell orchids flower during the months of July, August and September over inland areas between Hyden and Mt Ragged.

As the image above shows we also find the Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica) which flowers from July till October over a much larger range, Wongan Hills to the South Australian Border. If fact they are also found in all the states of Australia. Another larger specimen was found further into our hunt.

Not much else turning up so we decide to head back to the Triton and stumble across one nice Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) growing on the edge of the utilities track we are following.

Leaving Cascade Nature Reserve we head back east and stop along Boydell Road. In the road side scrub we locate some donkey orchids. They appear to be the Green Range donkey orchid (Diuris littoralis) which occurs in coastal and near coastal locations between Denmark and Esperance. They flower from July to early September and were only formally named in 2016 from specimens collected in 1995.

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Not much else found so we head across the Coolgardie – Esperance Hwy and head into Neridup. Here we visit our favourite blue metal dump site and as we arrive I jump out to walk along the track in to see what I can find. The others drive in ,park up and get out stuff for afternoon tea. I discover some Brittle snail orchids (Pterostylis timothyi) growing in the gravelly mounds pushed up to create the blue metal dump. These awesome little orchids flower from July to September over an eastern range of Lake Cronin to Esperance. The prominently veined , pointed leaves of the rosette is a distinctive feature of these orchids.

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Also on the edge of the cleared area in a slight depression, the spider orchids we found last year were again located. The Western wispy spider orchid (Caladenia microchila) flowers from July to early October and has an eastern distribution from Kondinin to Madura.

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After enjoying afternoon tea we spread out and immediately find some more donkey orchids. They appear to be more Green Range donkey orchids, as the only similarly coloured donkey orchid found this far east is the Yellow granite donkey orchid. However we are not near any granite.

We now cross over Wittenoom Road and come across some Green-veined shell orchids (Pterostylis scabra) near a small, currently dry, road run-off trench. These orchids flower from May to August over a large mostly inland area from Kalbarri to Esperance. Unlike the Dwarf shell orchid found at Cascade this shell orchid has it’s labellum visible. A little like poking out their tongues.

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Getting late in the afternoon and the sun sets early in winter, so we start to make our way back to the Trition. Along the way we find another colourful Donkey orchid, some more Brittle snail orchids and a small speck of blue. Blue beards (Pheladenia deformis) in bud but not yet open are found. So as the season moves on, so must we as we have a date around the fire pit at home will all our travelling companions from today.

A great family picnic followed by a successful orchid hunt. Not too bad for a Sunday in mid winter.

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