Well, we are a bit late in our first orchid exploration this year, as it has been a hectic couple of months. Usually, we head out in late March or early April. As our usual suspects are found north of Esperance, we head out on Dempster Road for a look. We will mix it up, though, by visiting new locations, so our Scaddan 1 location is our first stop.
As with most early-season searches, the results are pretty average. The first orchids found were specimens of the Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata), which is found growing between Perth and Israelite Bay from late-April to early September.
The only other orchid found here was the Pygmy orchid (Corunastylis fuscoviridis), which is found between Corrigin and Eucla in WA, as well as in South Australia and Victoria. It is one of the first orchids of the season in WA, as it flowers from March through to May.
Moved onto another nearby location, Scaddan 2; however, this proved even less successful. The sole find here was the Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata), which is found between Shark and Israelite Bays from March to June.
We leave Dempster Road and head west along Scaddan Road, where we make another impromptu stop. Scaddan 3. A rather overgrown sand track that required me to remove fallen branches or hold back overhanging shrubs to try our best not to scratch up the Mighty Triton too much. OMG, this was nearly a waste of time. Only found another Banded greenhood and a very spent Pygmy orchid. Pics for recording purposes.
Moving on to our last location of the day, which is located in the Speddingup East Nature Reserve. Here we spend around 1 hour looking around with not much luck. This time, only further Banded greenhoods and Hare orchids were found. Again, pics taken for recording purposes.
Driving back along the Coolgardie-Esperance Hwy, we make a quick check of our Gibson 15 location. Here we find our Robust snail orchids, but they are only starting to sprout, so we will need to revisit if we are to catch them flowering. Oh well, it was not such a great day out, but we did get to enjoy the fresh air and clocked up some steps, which is always good for us. Until next time!!
A beautiful Sunday afternoon in Esperance so what better way to spend it than looking for orchids. Where to go today though? Let’s hit some coastal and near coastal locations to see what we find.
First stop is a coastal Esperance location10
Walking around the marked trail from the car park Deb spies some Snail orchids growing in the scrub. These small orchids appear to be the Southern thick-sepaled snail orchid (Pterostylis meridionalis). They are found in coastal locations between Stokes Inlet and Cape Arid. Flowering from July to September in coastal woodlands and shrublands. If my ID is correct this is only the 2nd time, we have found these, which is exciting.
20-100mm in heightBloated appearanceSlightly apically thickened lateral sepalsGreen and white flowers4-6 basal rosette leaves and 3-4 cauline leavesBroadly flared petals
We now head down the dirt track to toward the granite headland. In the scrubby raised edges to the path, we are pleased to find some helmet orchids. These ones appear to be the Sand hill helmet orchid (Corysanthes despectans)which is found between Bunbury and Israelite Bay. They flower from July to early-September and grow in sandy soils in coastal woodlands and shrublands. They also occur in SA, Vic and Tas.
Now this is a newly discovered species for us so really excited.
Dorsal sepal does not form a hood over labellumLarge, incurved labellumSide on perspectiveBirdseye viewSimilar colouring to Crystal Helmet Orchid (C. limpida)Stand 9-15mm in height when floweringMany leaves but few flowersGreen, rounded, ground hugging leaf
Further down the track we come across more rounded leaves. These leaves, however, end up belonging to the Mosquito orchid (Cyrtostylis robusta). This is a widespread orchid which occurs between Perth and Israelite Bay. These flower earlier so are nearing the end of their season, being June to August.
Thin spreading petalsGreen ground hugging leafUp to 8 flowers per plantFull plant shot
At the end of the track/s before reaching the granite another species of snail orchid is found. This one is likely to be the Eastern granite snail orchid (Pterostylis voigtii) which flowers from July to September. It occurs between Stokes Inlet and Cape Arid, growing in shallow soil pockets over granite.
20-100mm in heightShortish lateral sepals1 or 2 cauline leavesFlared petalsNice hood of snailsRosette of 4 to 6 leaves
Moving onto another coastal location 11 . Here we first find some more snail orchids. Some had the slight clubbing to the lateral sepals whilst others did not. I believe the former are Southern thick-sepaled snail orchids whilst the later are Eastern granite snail orchids. Pics of both recorded.
Deb is excited to find a shell orchid. From the location of the orchid, I believe it to be the Curled-tongue shell orchid (Pterostylis rogersii). These orchids flower from June to August between Binningup and Esperance in coastal woodlands and shrublands. Another one is found nearby which is greener in colour but appears to be the same species.
Stands only 70-100mm in heightThe more common brown coloured formThe rarer green coloured formProminent hairy curved labellumWhite striped flowersObvious “Common name”
An orchid found in various shades was the Pink fairies (Caladenia latifolia). A common orchid found between Kalbarri and Israelite Bay, flowering during the months August to December.
Can grow up to 450mm in height50 Shades of pink: Pale to ….50 Shades of pink: … to BrightCommon name alludes to the winged labellum and column resembling a fairySide view showing upright dorsal sepal
Another 3 species of orchid are also found. 1 of which have been found previously today: The Mosquito orchid. Newly found are the rosette of a Bird orchid and the Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata). Pictures taken for future reference.
Bird orchid emergingBanded greenhoodMosquito orchid – Up to 8 flowers per plantLeaf size. 20 -50 mm wide, 30-60mm longHeight indication 90mm – Can grow to 300mmBroad, elongated labellum
Moving onto our third location for the day.12 Here a quick inspection turns up some more Curled-tongue shell orchids.
Labellum protrudes giving the common nameLong thin upright lateral sepalsBrown or green and white striped flowers
Last location of the day provides wonderful views over Pink Lake. 13 Here we are amazed to find the Beautiful donkey orchid (Diuris pulchella) growing so close to the coast. I believed it was an inland orchid as it’s range is listed as being between Salmon Gums and Israelite Bay. These stunning orchids flower from July to September.
Broadly-oval to rounded petalsNarrow, often crossed lateral sepalsSide view. Lateral sepals not crossed this timeRelatively short mid lobe to labellumBright yellow and mauve flowers
Another less colourful donkey orchid is also found. Due to our location, I believe this to be the Green Range donkey orchid (Diuris littoralis). Florabase’s map indicates they can occur in coastal locations. Also, their range is listed in my orchid books as being between Denmark and Esperance. The flowering season is July to early-September so it all fits.
Narrow, often crossed lateral sepals. though not is this case.Yellow, brown and mauve flowersOblong to elliptic petalsBroad dorsal sepalRange in height from 180 – 300mmTri-lobed labellumUp to six flowers per orchid
Further along the track we come across some more Pink fairies. These ones seem to be pink and white striped which is interesting. Also found a lone Snail orchid, ID unknown. Pics take for recording purposes.
Bloated appearance, thin lateral sepals and 2 cauline leavesRosette of unknown snail orchidInteresting pink and white striped appearanceSide view highlighting the coloured stripesSmaller flower, same interesting colouringUp to 4 flowers per orchidTwo converging rows of yellow lamina calli
The final orchids found for the day were the large white spider orchids. I now need to decide if they are all the Esperance white spider orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa) or maybe different species. What are your thoughts?
We spend several hours exploring our coastal and near coastal locations. Then, we return home happy as we have located so many different types of orchids.
The Sand hill helmet orchid being the find of the day.
I’ll finish this post with one of the beautiful scenes we enjoyed today…
Debbie is working this afternoon. I am now retired, so I decided to explore two locations close to Esperance solo. Helms Arboretum and Myrup.9 Not much to report so I will just list the orchids found.
?? Snail orchid (Pterostylis sp.)
Found at Helms and is un-named. Have posted numerous pics of orchid flower, full plant and the rosettes to assist identification.
These orchids vary in their appearance. This can make positive ID difficult as the co-occurring (C. heberleana), also flowers during September and October. They also hybridise with (C. longicauda subsp. crassa) producing various coloured flowers. This also confuses identification
Well, it has been quite a while since we went orchid hunting. A holiday to celebrate my 60th Birthday was enjoyed from mid-July to yesterday. No orchids included LOL.
So, what better place to see how the season is progressing than to pop out to Helms. We were not disappointed!!
Another school holiday day with the grandkids. We decide to go out and check Monjingup Reserve. First up we check out the reserve on the town side of Telegraph Road. Here we have a picnic lunch and check out the large chess game. It had seen better days.
After a quick look around, we move onto to the Lake part of the reserve. Located on the other side of Telegraph Road. Here we take the boardwalk to the bird hide. As the water level is low the birds were a long way away so could not tell what they were. However, there was a nest in the bird hide, which was a good find. The grandkids decide to play on the lake banks for a bit. Then we continue on the walk trail which goes over the lake via a boardwalk. Here we see some little colourful birds.
Disappointingly only one orchid species was found flowering. The Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) is a common widespread orchid which flowers from late April to early September. The are listed as occurring between Perth and Israelite Bay.
To finish the day off with the grandkids we took them to the creek crossing on Quarry Road. Here we attempted to catch some more fish for our outdoor pond. As these are introduced fish to Australia, we are happy to do this as an adventure.
Another wonderful day spent with the grandkids in the great outdoors.
As the grandkids were disappointed with not finding any tadpoles on our last adventure, today we head east. Orchid hunting will again play a secondary role for the day. First stop for the day is our Neridup1 location as it fills up with water during winter. No tadpoles found however the grandkids had fun in the water and also climbing the blue metal pile. I did locate a Brittle snail orchid (Pterostylis timothyi) nearly fully formed. I took some pics for recording purposes. These orchids flower July through September over a range extending between Mt Lindesay and Mt Ragged. The Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) was also found. It flowers from April through September. Its range extends between Perth and Israelite Bay.
Moved onto a random puddle along Scaddan Road. No tadpoles found though we did find some fungi and more Banded greenhoods.
Next, we move onto Dempster Road where we try another roadside puddle. No tadpoles but further Banded greenhoods. This is becoming repetitive.
We need to find a better location on the way home. Otherwise, this will be another lost day concerning tadpoles.
I noticed a spot with water pooled so we turnaround and make one last attempt. Deb and the grandkids explore the shallow but clear water whilst I bush bash for orchids. We break the pattern; I find nothing whilst they catch 3 small tadpoles.
Success.
A successful afternoon for the grandkids in finally catching some tadpoles. Orchids though are proving elusive other than Banded greenhoods which appear everywhere. LOL
School holiday fun with Grandad and Nana… I feel they enjoyed themselves as we certainly did. Life is wonderful in the great outdoors.
What to do with the grandkids on school holidays? Go for a drive out to Helms Arboretum to let them run around and also look for tadpoles. Plus, why not squeeze in a little orchid hunting. LOL
Alas, no tadpoles were found. We did have fun climbing trees and finding fungi. We also enjoyed collecting pinecones and gum flowers snipped off by the Black cockatoos.
In between all the fun I did manage to take some quick snaps of two orchids. Both are common so nothing too spectacular.
Firstly, is the White bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus). Flowering occurs April through June over a large range, Dirk Hartog Island to Israelite Bay.
The other orchid found was the Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata). This orchid flowers April through September and it ranges from Perth to Israelite Bay.
A wonderful 3 or so hours spent in the outdoors with the grandkids.
So, it feels like I was travelling this road only a few days ago. Actually, I was driving in the other direction back on the 17/6. Back to Perth for a medical appointment this time. Heading up a day early so will attempt some orchid hunts on the drive up.
First and only orchid hunt is made at our usually reliable Jelcobine8 location.
Distribution: Perth and Israelite Bay / Eneabba to Esperance
21/06/2024
So today rather than hang around the hospital I decide to go for a stroll around Kings Park. I was shocked to see how much of the bushland was dead and dying. I did not come across many orchids either, but I certainly racked up my steps. 🙂
More greenhoods found with both green and darker flowers, so possibly another 2 species.
I am unsure of the darker one because I am not familiar with Perth orchids. However, I believe the green one is the Banded greenhood.
Slipped into the Botanical Cafe for lunch. Enjoyed a bagel with a beer. Then I walked back to the car down Lovekin Drive. I found a WARREN who died in WWII honoured under one of the massive gumtrees.
Next, I moved onto Bold Park where I decided to walk the Tuart Loop Trail. Unsure if I stuck to it as I feel I ended up on the Zamia Trail. Along the trail there was views of the City of Perth. A highlight off the walk was watching Carnaby Black Cockatoos feeding in the trees before they flew off. Video below.
Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo feeding in the Banksia bushesPerth City from Bold ParkWalk tail with Perth City viewsCockatoo flock flying away
Time to head back to the hospital for patient pick-up. Arrived early so killed time by exploring the grounds. Here I found the amazing old Harvey House. This building is from the original hospital that was opened in 1916. In front of one of the other buildings is a display of the Nyoongar Calendar.
22/06/2024
Drove straight home to Esperance so no orchids to record. Let us see how long we stay put before heading up to Perth again.
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.
