02/07/2022 ….. Solo visit to Neridup & Condingup locations

Condinup Reserve, Day Trip, Other Reserves, Western Australian Orchids

Well, the 2nd month of winter rolls around and I am home alone for the weekend. I only have the Ford so have to stick to decent roads and tracks on my orchid hunting adventures. I decide to head out East to see if anything new has started to bloom.

1st stop: Track off Old Smokey Road – Had to walk the track as it was not decent enough to tackle in the Ford. Firstly, I will mention the orchids found that had finished their season and the ones found yet to bloom. White bunny orchid (Eriochilus sp.) had finished, whilst the Mignonette orchid (Microtis sp.) was a remanent from last season. Next up Sun orchids (Thelymitra sp.) with leaves only currently growing are found.

The first orchids found flowering were the greenhoods. Possibly both the Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea) and Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) were found, however with both having varying colours it is hard to distinguish. Some P. sanguinea are all green/white whilst rarely some P. vittata are found fawn coloured. The other orchid found was the Fawn snail orchid (Pterostylis parva) which also has fawn toning plus pointed leaves to its rosette.

2nd stop: Coolinup Road – More greenhoods are found flowering, possibly a mixture of P. sanguinea, P. vittata and Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula). Another snail orchid is also found flowering, however this time they appear to be the Brittle snail orchid (Pterostylis timothyi) due to it’s thinner, taller stature.

Also found were some Caladenia sp. leaves, Bird orchid rosettes and Mosquito orchids in bud, tempting another visit, later in the season.

3rd stop: Track off Fisheries Rd before Parmango Rd – This is a new location and not too much is found this time. I am lucky to stumble across a Western wispy spider orchid (Caladenia microchila) in flower. A lot of dumped rubbish in the area, which is terrible, however I did locate 3 old Cottees bottles, to add to our collection. I wandered into the dried-up lake area, which was almost devoid of any growth, just a bed of leaf litter. On the slow drive back along the track to Fisheries Road I did find some spent Hare orchids (Leporella fimbriata) still distinguishable.

4th stop: Under powerlines off Parmango Road – I revisit one of our newer locations and walk up to the gravelly area to see how the spiral leaf orchids are faring. Along the track and at the targeted patch I did stumble across some spent Hare orchids, Caladenia sp. leaves and the spiral leaves of a Thelymitra sp. A highlight of this patch was the couple of small Scented Autumn leek orchids (Prasophyllum sp. ‘Early’) found in flower.

Well, this certainly turned into a day of being too early for some orchids, late for others and only a few in flower. As the season progresses so will the numbers of orchids in flower increase. I look forward to a re-visit later on with Debbie in tow.

26/06/2022 ….. Gibson locations checked

Sunday Drive, Western Australian Orchids

As has become our ritual, we enjoy breakfast at the Esperance Bird and Animal Park before checking out some orchid locations.

1st stop – Walker Street Bushland – Gibson, where we check out the burnt-out scrub. Along the edge of the north/south track we locate some greenhoods. The bright green ones must be the Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) whilst the brownish coloured ones may either be the Dark banded greenhood (Pterostylis sanguinea) or the Mallee banded greenhood (Pterostylis arbuscula). All 3 species are recorded as being found this far east, however the references state the sp.vittata is found in soil pockets on granite this far east, which does not match the habitat these ones were found in.

2nd stop – Bush block opposite Stafford Road, further north on the Esperance-Coolgardie Highway. More Banded greenhoods found as well as a good patch of Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata) leaves. The surprise find though was a large hood of Robust snail orchids (Pterostylis dilatata) growing under the protection of the shrubs. These orchids flower May to August between Northampton and Toolinna.

3rd stop – Boydell Road, even further north along the Highway. Nothing found other than more Hare orchid leaves so our final and 4th stop is our usual location on Fleming Grove Road. Further Banded greenhoods found, plus some Hare orchids still in flower. Past their best but easily recognisable.

Average day for orchids, however it was wonderful to get out under a beautiful blue winters sky. Nothing better than a Sunday drive with orchids as an added bonus.

28/05/2022 ….. 4 Points East of Esperance

Beaumont NR, Day Trip, Nature Reserves, Western Australian Orchids

Well after all the stress of the last month or so, it was great to get out in nature again with my darling wife for a good old orchid hunt. We decided we would head out East and see if anything new has sprouted since our visit in April.

We went straight out to our Parmango Road location and found some beautiful Scented autumn leek orchids (Prasophyllum sp. ‘early’), which as the species name suggests, flower from April through to early July. Their stark white colouring stands out in the dull green greys of the surrounding foliage.

Another flowering orchid found was the Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata) which commences flowering as early as March. They can have up to 3 flowers per orchid (rarely 4) so I will post 3 of our triple headers found.

. Only spiral leaves and buds were found of Pterostylis species, so no other photos taken. Beaumont Nature Reserve is our next location; however, orchids are very light on there as well. At least the first orchids found are new for the 2022 season. The common Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) is found in isolated specimens of various sizes and stages of flowering.

The only other orchid found flowering was the Red-lipped bunny orchid (Eriochilus valens), which is also an early flowering orchid, starting in March and finishing in May, so we are lucky to find some still going. I believe this is our first recording of this species which is exciting. It was the leaf shape and petals clasping the column that allowed me to ID these. Also, the latest references now record their location as far east as Condingup whilst my older reference book has it occurring only as far east as Munglinup.

We now move back towards Esperance and pull into Condingup Peak. Snail orchid rosettes found with Sun orchid leaves growing out of the moss on the rocks. Bunny orchids are finished up here and we find a recognisable Hare orchid.

Final location for the day is Coolinup road, where we find some more orchids that are all past their prime as well. More Hare and Bunny orchids are found. The bunny orchids may be the newly named Eastern granite bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. ‘eastern granites’) which is listed as being located between Esperance and Balladonia during the months of April and May. Growing on granite, smooth leaf and lack of pink colouring confirm this ID. Thoughts??

Well that is our day done. With only 5 species found it was not that great, however recording 2 different species of Eriochilus was exciting as both are new to us.

24/05/2022 ….. Our 1 Allowed Orchid Stop – Pallarup Rocks

Nature Reserves, Pallarup NR, Western Australian Orchids

Well after spending a few days with family and friends celebrating my late mothers life it was time for the long drive home to Esperance. We had an extra passenger for the drive back, our son Jace. Now this passenger would not allow us to stop along the way to check for orchids. We insisted that we cannot drive all that way without a quick stop to stretch our legs. So, he finally relented and allowed us to make a quick stop at one of our regular haunts.

Pallarup Rocks, south of Lake King, in the Pallarup Nature Reserve, usually has something in flower when we visit. This time the only orchid found flowering was the small but beautiful Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata). Now off to Esperance.

21/05/2022 ….. Solemn Day for a Winter Spider Orchid Hunt

Karlgarin NR, Western Australian Orchids

A road trip back home to Dwellingup for my beloved Mothers funeral is not something I wished to be doing, but not unexpected either. As we were driving through so-called Winter Spider orchid territory, we made a few stops along the way. First up called into Varley with no luck. Then we popped into the bush around Lake Gouter Nature Reserve, again with no luck. Our final stop of the day was at Karlgarin Nature Reserve, where we did not find any Winter spider orchids, however, were lucky to find a Pygmy orchid (Corunastylis fuscoviridis) still in flower. Spent ones were found at all 3 locations. These little orchids are similar to Leek orchids as their flowers are inverted.

**Stands 100 to 250mm high with up to 50 flowers**

30/04/2022 ….. Finally out exploring

Day Trip, Western Australian Orchids

Well, we finally get to go exploring on our first orchid hunt of this season. It has been a struggle finding the time, what with COVID isolation after a family centred Easter weekend, but we got there on the last day of April. Richard (our travel buddy) dropped in for the weekend, so he was seconded as driver for the day. First up of course we had a wonderful, cooked breakfast at the Esperance Bird and Animal Park.

Moving north up the Esperance Coolgardie Highway we make a stop at our Fleming Grove Road location, hoping the previously found orchids are again flowering. Deb moves ahead of us boys and confirms she has found the Leafless orchid (Praecoxanthus aphyllus). These orchids flower from March till May over a range from Pinjarra to Esperance.

Also found in the same area were many Hare orchids (Leporella fimbriata) which occur during March to June over a wide range, Kalbarri to Israelite Bay. Unlike the leafless orchid, these little guys have either one or two purple striped smooth green leaves.

There was also a solitary White bunny orchid (Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus) surrounded by Hare and Leafless orchids. However, many more were found scattered around the wider location. These orchids also flower early, March to May, over a range between Dirk Hartog Island and Israelite Bay.

We then decided to move further east and check out the scrubland near the railway line. Well, we really only checked out the edge of the track, where we found another Leafless orchid and a White bunny orchid hiding underneath a prickle bush. Video taken of the Leafless orchid but not the White bunny. We also did a recognisance of the patch of scrub diagonally opposite our usual patch and this was a nice mix of scrub and regrowth so it may warrant another visit later in the season.

Deb has to work tonight, so we make tracks for home so she can relax before her shift. We also have our son’s birthday dinner to attend at 5pm. Finding our 3 usual suspects for today made the quick trip worth it and it was nice to get out in the fresh air for a change.

25/09/2021 ….. Kepwari Walk Trail

Esperance, Nature Reserves, Western Australian Orchids, Woody Lake NR

After a weekend off to recover from our road trip we had to get out to see what was still flowering around Esperance. Today we decided to check out the Kepwari Walk Trail which meanders between Woody and Wheatfield Lakes.

First orchid found is the locally abundant Esperance king spider orchid (Caladenia decora), which comes in many shades of red, yellow and green. Size is also a variant; in that they can range from 250mm to 500mm in height and the flowers can be between 50 to 100mm across.

Then you come across spider orchids that don’t seem to fit the usual image of the Esperance king spider orchid however they are beautiful in their own right. I feel one is a hybrid between the Esperance king and Esperance white spider orchids, but this would need someone to clarify for me. Others maybe just unusual specimens.

Other spider orchids found include the Esperance white spider orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa) and the Pointing spider orchid (Caladenia exstans) which are also locally occurring species.

Final couple of orchids found are both yellow in colour but belong to completely different genera. First up is the common Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava) which is found between Israelite Bay and Geraldton. The Elegant donkey orchid (Diuris concinna) on the other hand is restricted more locally between Cape Arid to Fitgerald River National Park.

At least 5 species found during a pleasant walk. Not too bad a way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

12/09/2021 ….. Jerramungup to Munglinup

East Naernup NR, Koornong NR, Nature Reserves, Numerous days, Road Trip, Western Australian Orchids

After an early breakfast we head out to our first location to continue our orchid hunt. Some of the first orchids found are still covered in dew, which exposes the cobwebs as well.

JERRAMUNGUP CEMETERY

Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava)

Well, I glad we persevered at this location given we found nothing in the first 5 minutes. The hybrid found was our first with a Dragon orchid and the numbers of white spiders was amazing.

However, we must keep moving but we only make it some way up the SouthCoast Highway before pulling into Jacup Highway Park, a rest stop near to the Fitzgerald River crossing. Seems a bit overrun with weeds, but we make the effort and are rewarded big time.

JACUP HIGHWAY PARK

Wheatbelt spider orchid (Caladenia x cala)

After some amazing finds, we jump back into the Triton and head east. We decide to check out another new location and pull over at Koornong Nature Reserve. Some of our finds may be outside the Nature Reserve boundary as the scrubland extends further along the roadside than we were originally aware of.

Koornong Nature Reserve

Four species found, so not too bad a spot. Worthy of a re-visit another time. Next stop is further along the highway. Here we pull into an old bitumen dump and venture into the surrounding scrub. Orchids found 🙂

East Naernup Nature Reserve

Esperance white spider orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa)

It is now way past lunch time, so we head to Munglinup Roadhouse for their amazing burger. Near the roadhouse I find a nice spider orchid and take a photo, which ends up being the last taken for the day.

Our 2021 orchid hunting road trip has come to an end as we head home from Munglinup. As usual it has been amazing to find so many beautiful orchids in the wonderful West Australian bush and woodlands. Many old favourites found as well as some new species, which is always very exciting. Quite a few hybrids found this time as well as a few lutea or polychromic variants.

11/09/2021 ….. Chirelillup Nature Reserve to Jerramungup

Chirelillup NR, Nature Reserves, Numerous days, Road Trip, Toompup NR, Warperup East NR, Western Australian Orchids

After a cool night, instead of packing up camp straight after breakfast, we go exploring the reserve, whilst the camper dries out. I had seen lots of orchids on my quick scout yesterday and now looked forward to having the time to explore with Debbie.

CHIRELILLUP NATURE RESERVE

As per last night the very first orchid found is the Green spider orchid (Caladenia falcata). Also commonly known as the Fringed Mantis orchid.

Then we stumble across a newly named orchid. The Little frog greenhood (Pterostylis occulta) was named in 2021 from specimens collected in 2005, west of Brookton. It is distinguished from P. sargentii by the shape and hairiness of the horn-like structures of the labellum.

Then an old favourite appears just asking us to take a photo. The Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava) comes in varied shades of yellow. Then the reddish markings can be bold or pale and be dots or lines and everything in between.

Another yellow orchid is then spotted. Donkey orchids are another orchid that can be difficult to identify, as they are all so similar in appearance and overlap in their recorded locations. For this reason I will not attempt to name the ones found here.

Well I find donkey orchids hard to identify, now I need to try and identify spider orchids from the filamentosa complex. I believe some to be the Common spider orchid (Caladenia varians) whilst others may be the Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma) as both are recorded as being located in the Shire of Gnowangerup, and the features seem to match the reference books

An exciting find was the Purple-veined spider orchid (Caladenia doutchiae) which is found between Mullewa and Raventhorpe. The long tapers to the sepals distinguish it from other related orchids.

A common inland orchid is the Sugar orchid (Ericksonella saccharata) however only a few were found at this location. Also found was the ever reliable Jug orchid (Pterostylis recurva), again not in great numbers though.

We ran into some fellow orchid enthusiasts, Martina & Rick, who amazingly follow this blog via Facebook. They shared with us an app on their phone they use to record locations of interest. It also has the ability to overlay geology maps, that show different geology types, which they feel assists them in locating different orchid habitats. I have installed the Australian geology travel maps app and now regularly use it on our excursions.

The camper has now dried out sufficiently so we pack up camp and head off. We detour into Gnowangerup before heading east again. This time we venture into a new location which is not too great a detour off the main track. However we did have to take the Triton and camper through a bit of water to get back to the main Gnowangerup-Jerramungup Road. The water was in the middle of farmland, not the Nature Reserve though.

TOOMPUP NATURE RESERVE

Being a new location, we are excited to see what is found in Toompup Nature Reserve. We pull into an off road parking spot and immediately find some Green spider orchid (Caladenia falcata) which is also referred to as Western mantis orchid. The highly upturned lateral sepals are one of its distinguishing features.

Some small frog greenhoods are located next, however the photos we took are not clear enough to discern the species conclusively. I though, will name them the Little frog greenhood (Pterostylis occulta) due to the sharp of the horn-like structures on the labellum. Please correct me if you think I have erred in this ID.

Some yellow catches our eye. The faithful Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava) is found. They certainly brighten up the dull West Australian bush.

Vying for having the most yellow in the bush are the donkey orchids, which are also found en masse. To make life difficult three species are recorded as being found in the Shire of Gnowangerup. I will take a guess that some are the Western wheatbelt donkey orchid (Diuris brachyscapa) and some other ones are the Small flowered donkey orchid (Diuris porrifolia). Florabase mentions D. brachyscapa whilst Atlas of Living Australia lists D. brachyscapa and D. porrifolia as being found in this Nature Reserve.

Well we did find some orchids as a single specimen. A flowering Jug orchid (Pterostylis recurva) and Dancing spider orchid (Caladenia discoidea) , a budding Purple enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis) and a spent Hare orchid (Leporella fimbriata) were some such finds. Red beaks (Pyrorchis nigricans) and Sugar orchid (Ericksonella saccharata) were found in low numbers.

Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)A
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)
Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma)

OK so we find so many different coloured spider orchids from the filamentosa complex that being certain of their identification is proving difficult.

So, I believe most to be the Joseph’s spider orchid (Caladenia polychroma) as they are a common orchid that occurs in variable colours of white, cream, yellow, red and pink. However, the Chameleon spider orchid (Caladenia dimidia) is also a possibility given it occurs in various colours, though it is not currently recorded as occurring in the Gnowangerup LGA.

Some spiders I cannot name are shown opposite. Either the calli are not broad, the colouring seems different, or the size of the flower and labellum don’t fit in with the Joseph’s species. Any help with an ID would be appreciated.

Then to add to the confusion with identification, some hybrids are found together with a lutea or hypochromic specimen.

Parents could be the Purple-veined spider orchid and either Joseph’s or Chameleon spider orchids as both are recorded hybrids.

The lutea or hypochromic specimen appears to be a Joseph’s spider orchid due to the broad calli on the labellum.

Also found were some larger white spider orchids. Now 2 sub-species of C. longicauda are recorded as being found nearby to this location. However, I believe the one I located to be the Stark white spider orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. eminens) due to the broad labellum with long fringe segments.

As with the smaller spider orchids, we also came across a couple that did not appear usual. They could just be variants, given the C. longicauda has 4 or more rows of calli. However, the colouring is not stark white either so if you can help with ID, again that would be appreciated.

Finally, time to move on towards Ongerup where we plan to grab a cuppa at the Malleefowl Centre. We came across some water covering the road, so I jumped out and walked through to test the depth. All good, so Deb pushes through and we arrive at the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre.

Water covers Cleveland Road, so I jumped out and walked through to test the depth. All good, so Deb pushes through in the mighty Triton.

After another amazing cuppa and icecream we make tracks east towards Jerramungup. However along the Gnowangerup-Jerramungup Road we pull over at a patch of green on the map. It turns out to be Warperup East Nature Reserve. So we jump out the Triton and go exploring this new location.

WARPERUP EAST NATURE RESERVE

First up we find the Sugar orchid (Ericksonella saccharata), which has now been found at all 3 locations visited so far today.

Next up find some orchids of the Pterostylis genus. Most are way past their best, but I took photos just to record they are found at this location. Jug orchid (Pterostylis recurva), Banded greenhood (Pterostylis vittata) and Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa). These orchids all start flowering much earlier in the season.

Other green orchids are found but these belong to the Caladenia genus. First up we find the Small mantis orchid (Caladenia attingens subsp. gracillima), however later on larger flowers are found with longer fringe segments. These could be the Green spider orchid (Caladenia falcata) which occurs as far east as Jerramungup according to my references. The Small mantis orchid is stated as being located as far west as Jerramungup and as we are only 22kms west of Jerramungup both of these species could very well be located here.

Excitedly, we find a new species for the day. The Western tiny blue orchid (Cyanicula aperta) as the name suggests is only 50 – 150mm in height with flowers only 20 – 25mm across. For comparison the Stark white spider orchid is 300 – 600mm in height with flowers 80 -120mm across.

After blue comes the yellow. The reliable Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava) is the next orchid to be spotted.

Another yellow orchid is also found. The Western wheatbelt donkey orchid (Diuris brachyscapa) is a common orchid found between York, Tenterden and Ravensthorpe. The lateral sepals are said to be crossed hanging, often reflexed, which my pictures confirm.

A special find for this location was the hybrid orchids found. Three in total were found and I believe they are all the named hybrid, Wheatbelt spider orchid (Caladenia x cala). This is a cross between a White spider orchid (C. longicauda) and a Green spider orchid (C. falcata). Hybrids of C. attingens X C. longicauda are also recorded though un-named.

We then move a little further east before pulling up at the location of Needilup. A quick exploration around then takes place with some familiar orchids being found.

NEEDILUP

Well, we only pull over on the side of the road and explore a few meters in. First orchid to catch our eyes was the donkey orchid. Then a lone 2 headed Jug orchid is found, plus lots of Green spider orchids. I feel these ones are definitely Green spiders and not Small mantises due to the size of the labellum.

No more stops before we reach our final destination for the day. Jerramungup is a welcome sight after a long day orchid hunting. We check into the Jerramungup Motor Hotel and enjoy a good pub feed and a comfortable bed. At least 17 different species found with a few hybrids thrown in. A very pleasing day !!!!

WA Orchid Adventures

Come with me on my Orchid Adventures in Southern Western Austalia

Orchidaceae