14/10/2023
Well time stops for no man and the orchid season is nearing its end. For Deb and I this will be our last planned orchid hunt for the season. Later flowers do bloom right though to Feb. However, we call it quits now that the snakes are active, and the orchid pickings are slim.
So, what better place to finish the season than at Helm’s Arboretum? It is a part of the 4000 ha Helms Forestry Reserve.
There is not much of a tale to tell initially. I will just post pictures of the many Sun orchids found flowering.
NOTE: Access to Florabase for info on each orchid is linked via the scientific name.
Slender sun orchid
(Thelymitra vulgaris)
Scented sun orchid
(Thelymitra macrophylla)
Shy sun orchid
(Thelymitra graminea)
Leopard orchid
(Thelymitra benthamiana)
As is normal for Helms there are other species found that are not sun orchids. I will now list these below.
Common mignonette orchid
(Microtis media subsp. media)
Elegant donkey orchid
(Diuris concinna)
Esperance spider orchid – Hybrid
(Caladenia decora x longicauda)
We check out a newer area of the arboretum where the soil is mainly white sand. This is to see if this habitat turns up anything new or more of the same.
OMG we are very excited to find our very first Flying Duck orchids. These orchids belong to their own genus: Paracaleana of which 15 species are found in WA.
4 of which are found in the Shire of Esperance.
From these 4 I feel these to be the Broad-billed duck orchid (Paracaleana triens) which flower Sept-Oct.
Broad-billed duck orchid
(Paracaleana triens)
What a way to end our 2023 Orchid season. We are adding a brand-new orchid to our list of species found.
Roll on the 2024 season!!!!!