I am heading up to Perth to attend a 60th birthday party. I will also catch up with Debbie as she is currently in Perth with her work. I will try and make some quick orchid stops along the way if time permits.
Well, no time to search for orchids on trip up to Perth so will try on the way back.
The birthday party on the Saturday night was held at the Ye Olde Narrogin Inne. It was a surprise for a long-time friend Sandy. To ensure I could have a good night I booked a room at the nearby Heritage Country Motel. In fact, it was walking distance. To save on costs Richard another longtime friend and I shared a room. Sunday was spent catching up with my daughter Kristie and granddaughter Bonnie. Then heading with Debbie to Fremantle to play tourist. We visited the West Australian Maritime Museum which took a few hours to check out. The exhibits were varied and interesting. After a wonderful lunch at Moore and Moore Cafe in Fremantle it was time to head to Dwellingup. I am staying the night with brother Geoff and his wife Robyn. We will catch up and I will be closer to home for the long drive tomorrow.
Woke to a cold winters’ morning. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and hit the road around 10am. The road was still very foggy in patches between Dwellingup and Quindanning. Finally, pulled over to a fav spot in the Piesseville7 locale to have a quick orchid hunt.
The only orchid found flowering in my quick 10min check was the Darkbanded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea).
Flowering: June to September.
Distribution: Eneabba to Israelite Bay
No further stops made as I did not wish to travel at dusk. Arrived home just after 5pm.
On the hunt for that elusive Winter Spider Orchid. To improve our chances, we are heading over to Lake King. To provide as much time as possible we have booked into the Lake King Tavern Motel for Saturday night.
However, as is usual for us we never go anywhere directly. Orchid hunting stops will be made along the way, plus we like to venture paths not previously travelled.
First up we check out a location in Coomalbidgup3 where we come across some bunny orchids.
Pictures of two findings only taken with the leaf not visible in one. The second pics show very small smooth margined leaves.
Unable to give a positive ID based on these pics so will leave as ??? bunny orchid (Eriochilus sp.)
The next couple of locations, one in Coomalbidgup4 and one in Munglinup,5 did not turn up any orchids.
I did come across a large Beehive located under a rocky overhang. I gave it a wide berth.
Another 2 stops made on the roadside verge of Lake Ace Nature Reserve followed by Kathleen Nature Reserve.
No luck in finding any orchids in flower.
We then visit a previously visited site nearby6 and here we only find some spent Pygmy orchids (Corunastylis fuscoviridis).
Oh well that was not a very successful day, orchid wise, however getting out in the bush is always enjoyable.
After spending a wonderful night at Lake King, we enjoy a leisurely morning. The after the 10am check-out we finally head out for further exploration.
Damnosa and Pallarup Nature Reserves are both checked. Unfortunately, nothing other than further spent Pygmy orchids are found.
Oh well time to go home and back to work on Monday.
The Winter spider orchids will have to wait for another year.
After a long working week, we jump into the Triton, hitch up the camper and make tracks for Bromus Dam, where we catch up with friends Jan and Bob. We are enjoying a weekend away camping. It is bloody cold when we arrive so after setting up camp, we sit very close to the campfire for a drink and a yarn.
Rugged up around the campfire
After a freezing cold night (minus 2), we awake to clear blue skies and a cold morning. After enjoying breakfast, we check out the dam before jumping in our vehicles for a trip to Peak Charles. We arrive late morning and pull into the day use area. We go for a brief walk and climb a little way up the rock. All the while I am checking for orchids. None found in flower, so somewhat deflated I join the others and head back down to enjoy a picnic lunch.
Bromus Dam
Peak Charles from the North
Peak Charles from the Day Use Area
After lunch we check out the camping area before making tracks back to Bromus Dam. It is just past 4 PM, but it is already so cold outside that we have got thre campfire cranking. I walked over to the dam to capture the beautiful sunset, and it is so peaceful here. Another great night spent around the campfire having a few drinks and solving all the world’s problems. 🙂
Afternoon campfire chatsBromus Dam Sunset
Next morning after breakfast I go for an exploration of the pipeline that feeds the dam. It takes me up to a large granite rock outcrop which has a water tank at the summit. I have a quick scout around for any orchids, but alas none found. I decide to walk back along the track to the south of the rock and it is along here I find a spent Pygmy orchid (Corunastylis fuscoviridis) which flowers from March to May over an inland range between Corrigin and Eucla. These small orchids are some of the first to flower in the season and reach no more than 250mm in height.
Water pipeline from Rock to damSummit water tankPygmy orchid (Corunastylis fuscoviridis)Size comparison to my index fingertip
Once I get back from my walk, we are able to pack up the camper as it had now dried out in the sun; after becoming very damp overnight. Jan and Bob head off home whilst we intend to take a detour to check for any orchid currently flowering.
Our planned detour was to our usual Fleming Grove Road location. Here we found our track had been widened, we assume for a firebreak. This however destroyed a lot of the previous orchid locations which was devastating. Not one Leafless orchid was found, whilst last year we found a good number. Luckily the Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata) was still located is ok numbers. The highlight was finding a triple headed one. These do flower later than the Leafless orchid; into June rather than May, however the numbers were still affected by the track widening. 🙁
Survived the pushed up earth.
Triple header
The much more common, double header
Size comparison to my hand
Possible pollinator
We backtracked easterly along the widened track looking for some bunny orchids. After nearly giving up we found one lone specimen. I forgot to take a pic of the leaf so will not attempt to formally identify it other than to call it a Bunny orchid (Eriochilus sp.)
Nothing to spectacular found however the 3 headed Hare orchid was a highlight. It was a great weekend away, spent with good friends, even though it was a tad cold at night. Roll on the 2023 orchid season.
What better reason to travel up to Perth and Dwellingup than to help to celebrate 2 milestone birthdays. This will be the first road trip in my new car, a hybrid Toyota Corolla I have named Fili, due to its red colouring matching the Blood spider orchid (Caladenia filifera).
FILI – My new Hybrid Toyota Corolla – Pit stop in Corrigin
Travelled up Friday by taking another RDO, which gives us time to make a quick orchid stop, firstly near Corrigin (Mud Map E12). Not a very successful location this early in the season with only 1 bunny orchid found. Given the location and the small stem leaf I will name this one the Blunt-leaved bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. brevifolius), which flowers April to June over a range from Murchison River to Toolina Cove, as previous subspecies orientalis and undulatus have now been combined into brevifolius. Refer this BioOne article.
One other location checked quickly was Williams Road where we found a shell orchid in bud; most likely the Red-veined shell orchid (Pterostylis hamiltonii) which flowers late May to early August over an inland range from Toodyay to Stirling Range.
Now to get to Perth for the 60th Birthday Party for a High School and Youth Club friend, Kim. Next morning, Saturday the 13th we head up to Dwellingup to catch up with my sister Lorraine and her family, who was celebrating her 70th birthday by having a weekend away. As the road bridge over the Murray River was closed for repairs we parked on the North bank and walked over and then onto Nanga Bush Camp where my sister and family were staying. After enjoying a wonderful Birthday breakfast, we said our goodbyes and got drenched on the walk back to our cars due to a freak rain shower. Welcome back to Dwellingup 🙂
Back in Dwellingup we pop up to the Forest Discovery Centre to say hello to Megan, my niece and it is in the carpark we find some bunny orchids. It was fun showing people these unusual small orchids for the first time. The orchids found are now known as the White bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus) as per the beforementioned article on BioOne. Subspecies magnus and multiflorus, which these orchids would have most likely have been identified as, have been absorbed by dilatatus.
We spend the afternoon with Geoff and Robyn and sister; Maxine which leads into an evening catch-up and sleepover. Next morning, we make the start of our long drive home to Esperance. Only one orchid hunt is completed on this leg and that is checking a location near Hyden for the elusive Winter spider orchid. No luck with them but we did find some more bunny orchids. This time round they appear to be the now defunct Crinkle-leafed bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. undulatus)which is now subsp. brevifolius as per the previously mentioned article.
It was a great weekend catching up with family and friends and being there to celebrate Kim’s 60th and Lorraine’s 70th birthdays. Orchid wise not so great, but we did find some.
IMPORTANT NOTE It was only when writing this blog in Jan 2024 that I realized Florabase had removed the following subspecies from the dilatatus group: magnus, multiflorus, orientalis and undulatus. Only 2 subspecies remain: dilatatus and brevifolius. I then checked online and found the BioOne article dated 16/04/2020, which advises which subspecies were combined. I have now named my orchids based on this change. My latest reference book: The Complete Orchids of Western Australia (Andrew Brown) however still includes a total of 8 subspecies, which adds to confusion with Identification.
Alexander Bay was our magnificent destination for Saturday afternoon, with friends and family. We enjoyed a wonderful morning on the beach then decided to try our luck at catching some squid at the Westen end of the bay. We parked up on the rocks and whilst the fisher people tried their luck I went for a wander around the vicinity.
Amazingly I actually came across some orchids in flower. Given the location and habitat I found them in I believe them to be the Granite bunny orchid (Eriochilus pulchellus), which is recorded as flowering during the months of April and May between Northcliffe and Bremer Bay then Esperance and Balladonia. Alexander Bay is located in the later range. However, the later reference book (The Complete Orchids of Western Australia) has separated the eastern range into its own subspecies of E. dilatatus. Applied name is E. dilatatus subsp. ‘eastern granites’. Another distinguishing feature is the small smooth margined leaf when compared to E. dilatatus subsp. dilatatus and E. dilatatus subsp. undulatus which are both recorded as occurring this far East.
It is the Esperance Offshore Fishing Club Classic and my brother, Geoff and Deb have entered the competition as have friends Bob and Tammy. So, a little group of 6 head out to Dunns Beach for an overnight beach camp, with some to try their luck. I am not a fisherperson so during Saturday afternoon I head into the dunes behind the beach to see if I can locate any orchids. Our son Tim turned up as well to fish into the night.
Beach camping Dunns Beach
OK, so into the dunes I head. Immediately behind the first set of dunes the land was flooded, so had to work my way around this to get into the more stabilised dunes where some orchids may be found.
Flooding between the dunes
Finally made it to the stabilised dune system, which was densely vegetated, so it proved difficult to transverse. However, I was rewarded with great views, plus I actually found some orchids. Some were finished, others were in bud, but I still found 3 species in flower. I took photos of them all, however they are not great.
Firstly, found is a sole Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) at the end of its flowering cycle. These orchids are known to flower in coastal heath between Perth and Balladonia. Next were orchids in bud, still to flower, which was frustrating. They appear to be Pink fairies (Caladenia latifolia) which are also listed as growing in coastal heath, though over a larger range, Kalbarri to Israelite Bay. Another orchid in bud was one from the Thelymitra genus plus another finished orchid from the Pterostylis genus, which seems to be a Snail orchid.
The next 3 orchids listed were found flowering … So happy to find flowering orchids. The Western tiny blue orchid (Cyanicula aperta) was found first. These small orchids are found between Dumbleyung and Mt Ragged, which seems to be more inland, so finding one in a coastal environment is special. A single Purple enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis) is found growing in a tangle of dead branches of a shrub. These bright orchids flower between Kalbarri and Israelite Bay which indicates coastal shrublands are an included habitat. Final orchid for the day was the Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera)which is listed as flowering between Shark Bay and Israelite Bay, growing in seasonally wet areas and creek lines, which covers off on the habitat I found it in.
Purple enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis)Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera)Western tiny blue orchid (Cyanicula aperta)Western tiny blue orchid (Cyanicula aperta)Purple enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis)
I was not expecting to find 7 species to record as being located in the stabilised dunes behind Dunns Beach, which is located in Cape Le Grand National Park, which is great as I don’t have many records for that park listed in my previous blogs.
Back at camp the rest had started fishing with a few small fish caught. It was a beautiful sunset as is common out here on the beach, but I never grow tired of them. Deb does catch a nice sized Gummy shark later in the night. We are so spoilt to live in this beautiful and remote part of the country.
We awake to a crisp winters’ morning at the Chicken Ranch in Varley. After a leisurely breakfast, we break camp and head straight for Dempster Rock to look for orchids. Nothing in bloom found. Disappointed, we move on and stop at a new location for us, in the Lake Hurlstone Nature Reserve.
This location may prove fruitful in later stages of the season, as it has a few different habitats to check out. We did locate some orchids this time as well, so all is good. First up appears to be the Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula) due to its small size and colouring. Further specimens are found with more stem leaves, taller plants and more flowers, so some may be the Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea). I will post pics of all, so please assist with the identification if you can.
Also found lots of spent White bunny orchids, with a lone one still identifiable as such. This one had a crinkled edged stem leaf, so I initially thought it to be the Crinkled-leafed bunny orchid(Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. undulatus)which flowers during April and May, hence why only spent flowers were found, except for this late flowering one of course. However, using Florabase, the only listed bunny orchid found in both the Shire of Kulin and the Shire of Kondinin is the Blunt-leaved bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. brevifolius) which flower May and June and only have up to 3 flowers. The leaf is also crinkled-edged so I am happy with this identification. Seems subsp. undulatus has been cancelled in Florabase and the common name of Crinkled-leaved bunny orchid given to subsp. brevifolius. The name game is never ending with native orchids. Also found on the way back to the Triton was a nice specimen of the Dark banded greenhood.
Leaving this new location, we head north to Hyden, where we enjoy an amazing hamburger for lunch. As Richard is running late, we make tracks for Anderson Rocks, our planned destination for this long-weekend.
Anderson Roack campingReflectionsDinner, camp styleGnamma holes??
During the weekend I would climb the rock and record the sounds of the frogs in the FrogID App and then attempt to upload my recordings. I received a reply from the Frog ID App on the 20/07/22 advising they had identified 2 species, so my uploads were successful. The species found were the Bleating Froglet (Crinia pseudinsignifera)and Crawling Toadlet (Pseudophryne guentheri).
Monday 06/06/2022
After a great long-weekend camping with Richard, Sandy and Noel at Anderson Rocks, it is time to travel home. As per usual we do not travel home in a straight line and try our best to take roads yet travelled. So, from Hyden we make our way to Allen Rocks Road, where we stop at an old rubbish dump it seems, as there is so much rubbish lying around. We found some old Gest cooldrink bottles and an old enamel pot to add to our collection. The only orchids found here were some yet to fully open shell orchids.
Next stop was on Dragon Rocks Road in the Dragon Rocks Nature Reserve. This roadside stop turned up some Dark banded greenhoods. Then further south on the Newdgate Road North at another roadside stop we only found some spent Pygmy orchids (Corunastylis fuscoviridis) which are also an early flowering orchid.
Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea)Pygmy orchid (Corunastylis fuscoviridis)
Final stop for the day other than to fuel up in Lake King and a toilet break in Munglinup. Arrived back in Esperance around 6.15pm and had dinner at our sons’ house, before heading home to unpack. A great weekend but not so great on the orchid front.
So, we awake in Yealering on the Sunday after enjoying the Regatta on the lake the previous day. We are in the local caravan park with friends Sandy, Noel and Richard. After breakfast we all pack up our respective campers and make our separate way home. For us this will be an excuse to go orchid hunting. Fancy that!!!
I do not have a record in my little black book, and I am writing this record more than 12mths after the fact, so my memory fails me. So, this record will record locations and finds only, with no commentary, which some may find refreshing.
Upswept lateral sepalsComb-like fringe segments to labellum
Green spider orchid
(Caladenia falcata)
200 – 400mm in height
Flowers – Late Aug to Oct
Location – Wongan Hills to Jerramungup
Double-header
Smooth yellow crested mid lobe to columnUp to 10 flowers per orchid
Granite sun orchid
(Thelymitra petrophila)
100 – 350mm in height
Flowers – Aug to Nov
Location – Mullewa to South Australia
Grows in shallow soli pockets on granite or breakaways
Elongated petals
Small flowered donkey orchid
(Diuris porrifolia)
150 – 350mm in height
Flowers – Late July – Sept
Location – Moora to Albany
Narrow, sometimes crossed lateral sepals
Elbow orchid
(Spiculaea ciliata)
100-180mm in height
Flowers – Oct to Jan
Location – Kalbarri to Grasspatch
Not fully open
EIGHTY SIX GATE ROAD – UNNAMED NATURE RESERVE
Inverted flowers- Lateral sepals pointing upwards
Little laughing leek orchid
(Prasophyllum gracile)
60 – 200mm in height
Flowers – Jul to Oct
Location – Shark Bay to Eyre
Up to 40, 2-3mm wide flowers per orchid
Granite sun orchid
(Thelymitra petrophila)
Leaf – Narrow, 4-6mm in width
Colour – Blue, purple or pink
Yellow, red marked flowersTri-lobed labellum with short fringe segments and 2 rows of calli
Cowslip orchid
(Caladenia flava subsp. flava)
100 – 250mm in height
Flowers – Jul to early Dec
Location – Geraldton to Israelite Bay
Spreading petals and sepals
Labellum has been triggeredUsual position of labellum
Green spider orchid
(Caladenia falcata)
Another common name – Fringed mantis orchid
Leaf – Single, erect, hairy leaf 100-200mm in length
4 or more rows of deep red calli
Dull, straw-coloured flowers
Elbow orchid
(Spiculatea ciliata)
Habitat – In the north sandy soils over sandstone, In the south soil pockets on granite
Leaf – Fleshy, green and red infused leaf, which is shriveled at time of flowering
Loosely-hinged labellum
Mauve-blue to purple flowersFlattened labellum with numerous calli
Blue china orchid
(Cyanicula gemmata)
40 – 150mm in height
Flowers – Aug to early Nov
Location – Kalbarri and Israelite Bay
Single, short, broad, flattened leafLeaf is purple-suffused underneath
Harrismith / Dudinin area
Granite sun orchid
(Thelymitra petrophila)
Neendaling
Green spider orchid
(Caladenia falcata)
Up to 8 flowers per orchid
Shy sun orchid
(Thelymitra graminea)
150 – 350mm in height
Flowers – Oct to Nov
Location – Perth to Esperance
Column has smooth yellow crested mid lobeThin leaf, 4-5mm in width
Little laughing leek orchid
Little laughingleek orchid
(Prasophyllum gracile)
Common mignonette orchid
(Microtis media subsp. media)
Common mignonette orchid
Newdegate
Upswept, narrowly clubbed lateral sepalsDeep red calli on labellum
Small mantis orchid
(Caladenia attingens subsp. gracillima)
170 – 350mm in height
Flowers – Aug to early Oct
Location – Jerramungup to Israelite Bay
Backswept, deflexed to dropping petals
Little laughing leek orchid
(Prasophyllum gracile)
Inverted flowers
You can tell we are moving into the last few months of the Western Australian orchid season as we only located 9 species over multiple inland locations. The Southwest corner has a much longer season than both the inland and Southeastern areas.
Waking to another beautiful morning at Munglinup Beach Camping Ground we enjoy a leisurely morning before packing up the camper and moving to Springdale Nature Reserve for our first orchid hunt. No orchids found so we move onto Munglinup Nature Reserve to see if we have better luck.
We park up just inside the track and venture in on foot. First orchid for the day is the Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea) which is a widespread orchid flowering June to September.
Standing tall – Up to 400mm in height
Insect-like labellum
Variable in colour
Green colouring – Possible P. vittata
Up to 12 flowers per orchid
Once we reach the old gravel pit Deb heads off to the area she had previously found Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata)leaves. She was lucky to find some in flower even though they are way past their best.
Double-header . Rarely up to 4 flowers
Erect petals, hanging lateral sepals
Swelling ovary
Fringed labellum
Distinctive leaf
Also found a very promising leaf about 4mm across. It appears to be from the Drakaea genus however the only species mentioned as being located near this location has a smooth heart shaped leaf. This leaf has small hairs over it’s surface so may be another species not listed for this location. Again any assistance you can provide to the correct identification would be appreciated.
Leaf of unknown orchid species
Nothing more found at this location so we move onto one of our regular haunts along the highway. At the intersection of Mills Road we go exploring, though not expecting too much to be found. However we find our first orchid from the Diuris genus, which is exciting. The Green Range donkey orchid (Diuris littoralis) is found in large numbers, however there are only a few early flowering ones, given that they are said to flower from July to September.
Colourful yellow, brown and mauve flowers
Stand up to 300 mm in height
Many yet to flower
Reflexed and often crossed lateral sepals
Broad dorsal sepal
Also found some dark greenhood orchids and well as some lighter green in colour. They may be two species or colour variant’s of the same. Possible identification: Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea), Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula)or Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata). Give me your thoughts.
Fleshy lateral sepals
7 stem leaves
Small stature
Light green colouring
Possible pollinator
We next move along Mills Road to our next location (Mud Map SE32). We first explore the north side of the road and come across a Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa) flowering all alone. Another solo specimen is later found. Crossing to the south side of the road proves fruitless so we move on.
Growing in woodland
Usually up to 150 mm in height
Erect lateral sepals up to 35mm in length
Dorsal sepal and petals form pointed hood
Rosette of leaves
We head further north, as we have chosen to check out Cascade Nature Reserve. Here we pull into the old quarry/gravel pit and go exploring. First up we find more banded greenhoods, then discover a shell orchid in bud. It should be a Dwarf shell orchid (Pterostylis brevichila), which flower from July to September, as it is just starting to flower. All other inland shell orchid species commence flowering in May.
Banded greenhood
Shell orchid budding up
Dwarf shell orchid rosettes
Mallee banded greenhood
Shell orchid – Vertical stripes evident
If we get a chance we will return later to catch the shell orchids in full flower. However we must keep moving, so even further north we check out Fields Nature Reserve. This is a new location so very unsure what may be here. Unfortunately we only find more greenhood orchids. These appear to be a mixture of species, which is cool.
Dark coloured lateral sepals
Two species side by side??
Dark banded greenhood ??
Insect-like labellum
Banded greenhood ??
The only other species found was a single, early flowering, Brittle snail orchid (Pterostylis timothyi) which have a small rosette of pointed leaves and the flower is green and fawn in colour. They are said to flower from July, hence this one is not fully formed as yet.
Pointed leaves on small rosette
Fawn tip to hood
Prominently veined leaves
We now head east and at the Scaddan / Dalyup boundary, we check out Speddingup Nature Reserve. We had visited here back on the 22/5/21, when we located many pterostylis rosettes, so we hope some have now flowered.
Well first up we found what appeared to be a Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica) in bud. Then as expected we finally find some Dwarf shell orchids (Pterostylis brevichila) in flower. In fact they were even growing on the edge of the track. These are an inland shell orchid which flowers from July, so we are lucky some early flowering specimens were here.
Midget greenhood in bud
Dwarf shell orchids lack a rosette when flowering
Tip of the labellum just visible
Erect lateral sepals
Stand up to 120 mm in height
White brown/green striped flower
I venture across the road and find more banded greenhoods. Again the species may be variable.
Banded greenhoods
Mallee banded greenhood
Labellum
It is now 4pm so time to make tracks for home. A great day with some good finds. The season is starting out great. I can’t wait till the next adventure.
