One week back at work after our 2022 road trip to Mt Augustus, we need to check out our local orchid haunts. So where to? Let us travel east of Esperance and see what is still flowering in late August.
First up we drive as far east as we will go today and call into our favourite spot along Parmango Road. After parking up, we waste no time as orchids are already spotted.
Common bee orchid (Diuris decrementa)
Distribution: Wongan Hills to Israelite Bay
Plant Height: 80-300mm
Common spider orchid (Caladenia varians)
Distribution: Kalbarri to Esperance
Plant Height: 150-300mm
Dancing spider orchid (Caladenia discoidea)
Distribution: Kalbarri to Israelite Bay
Plant Height: 100-400mm
Green range donkey orchid (Diuris littoralis)
Distribution: Denmark to Esperance
Plant Height: 180-300mm
Zebra orchid (Caladenia cairnsiana)
Distribution: Lancelin to Esperance
Plant Height: 150-400mm
Jug orchid (Pterostylis recurva)
Distribution: Geraldton to Israelite Bay
Plant Height: 300-900mm
Western wispy spider orchid (Caladenia microchila)
Distribution: Kondinin to Madura
Plant Height 150-300mm
Eastern curly-locks, Spotted curly-locks (Theymitra maculata)
Distribution: Watheroo to Ongerup (Our location is outside this range)
Plant Height: 100-200mm
Western tiny blue orchid (Cyanicula aperta)
Distribution: Dumbleyung to Mt Ragged
Plant Height: 50-150mm
Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile)
Distribution: Shark Bay to Eyre
Plant Height: 60-250mm
Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera)
Distribution: Shark Bay to Israelite Bay
Plant Height: 100-250mm
It is now past 11am, so we move on to our next location, Beaumont Nature Reserve.
We make our way back to the Triton and have ourselves some lunch. It was whilst eating lunch we spied the nice Jug orchids flowering, which was great as prior to this we had only found a Jug orchid that was someone else’s lunch 🙂
From here we head back to Fisheries Road and check out a spot I had checked earlier in the year. Not much found but you never know until you check.
WA Orchid Adventures 