Orchid Hunting Adventures: Newdegate to Kukerin: Pub Crawl Day 2

Dragon Rocks NR, List of Orchids Found, Nature Reserves, Numerous days, Road Trip, Un-named NR, Western Australian Orchids

08/09/2024

After enjoying our hotel breakfast, we leave Newdegate and head towards Dragon Rocks Nature Reserve.
Numerous stops are made along the track and then we explore the camping area which includes the flat granite rocks.

First orchid found was the Sugar orchid (Ericksonella saccharata), then further along the track a possible Dwarf zebra orchid (Caladenia pachychila) is found. Open to correction on this one.
Other common orchids found along the way include the:
Purple enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis),
Western tiny blue orchid (Cyanicula aperta),
Western wheatbelt donkey orchid (Diuris brachyscapa)
Dancing spider orchid (Caladenia discoidea).

Along the track in we also come across our first standard looking spider orchids.
Again, like yesterday I feel they are all variations of the Chameleon spider orchid (Caladenia dimidia).

Further common orchids were found at the flat granite outcrop area, including the Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava),
Pink candy orchid (Caladenia hirta subsp. rosea)
and the Ant orchid (Caladenia roei).

Also found along the way was the Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile) and 2 Pterostylis orchids from different complexes.
One is a spent orchid from the Vittata complex and the other is a budding orchid from the Rufa complex.
Naming these is not possible.

Now onwards to our next stop, which was an unplanned stop at the intersection of Kulin-Holt Rock Road, where we found a memorial of the Holland Track, so pulled in for a photo op.
Also took the opportunity to quickly explore the verge side vegetation for any orchids.
Actually, found some including the Jug orchid (Pterostylis recurva) and more Chameleon spider orchids.

Heading west along the Kulin-Holt Rock Road we come to our planned lunch stop, Buckley’s Breakaway, which is located in the Un-named Nature Reserve No. WA27485.
After a bite to eat we venture along the trail into the breakaways, which are an amazingly site. (Refer feature image)

Of course, our eyes are looking for orchids as we stroll along. We are not disappointed as we first come across the Sugar orchid, followed by the Frog greenhood (Pterostylis sargentii) and an unknown Banded greenhood (Pterostylis sp.).
I originally identified this as the Mallee banded greenhood (P. arbuscula) however it is listed as flowering in early winter so it may just be a short specimen of the Dark banded greenhood (P. sanguinea) which does flower into September and is also listed as occurring in this vicinity.
Please provide comments to assist with the ID.

On the return journey 2 more orchids are found.
The Brittle snail orchid (Pterostylis timothyi)
and more Western wheatbelt donkey orchids.

We move on towards Kukerin our planned overnight hotel stay.
However, we first make a planned orchid hunt and bush walk at a spot called The Jam Patch, which is located at the old North Lake Grace tennis club.

Orchids found that had been found earlier today include the:
Pink candy orchid,
Western wheatbelt spider orchid,
Little laughing leek orchid,
Chameleon spider orchid.

New orchids for the day include the:
Salt lake spider orchid (Caladenia exilis subsp. exilis)*
Cream spider orchid (Caladenia horistes)*
Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae)*
Drooping spider orchid (Caladenia radialis),
Possible hybrid, parents unknown (Caladenia x)*

Orchids marked with * may not be separate species,
possibly just C. dimidia, D. brachyscapa, or C. radialis
so please correct me in the comments section if so.

After checking into our hotel, The Kukerin Community Hub, Deb and I head out for an orchid hunt in the surrounding woodland.

It definitely paid off as we find numerous species including:
Ant orchid, EDIT – Actually found @ Jam Patch
Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica),
Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa),
Slender spider orchid (Caladenia pulchra)*
Chameleon spider orchid (2 colour variations),
Cowslip orchid,
Fringed mantis/Green spider orchid (Caladenia falcata),
Sugar orchid,
Little frog greenhood (Pterostylis occulta),
Vittata complex greenhood,
?? donkey orchid (Diuris sp.).

Orchid marked * may just be another colour variant of C. dimidia

Well day 2 has also proved very productive with around 24 species found.

We settle in for a great pub meal with a few bevies before hitting the sack.

Top Orchids Found West of Esperance: A Field Report; Part II

Day Trip, Western Australian Orchids

04/09/2024

After a wonderful morning finding 15 species of orchids over numerous locations, we pull off the road to park up and enjoy lunch, from the boot of my small Toyota Corolla (Fili).
Neds Corner Rd is the border between the locations of Coomalbidgup and East Munglinup.
So, our lunch is in East Munglinup⁸, being West of the road however our explorations take us to the East side as well, which technically is in Coomalbidgup.
Not too confusing I trust. 🙂

After lunch we hit the surrounding area for another orchid hunt. Very close by we find our first orchids for the afternoon.
The Zebra orchid (Caladenia cairnsiana) is found growing between Lancelin and Esperance from August to early-November.

Red beaks (Pyrorchis nigricans) are usually found flowering the season after a summer fire has burnt its habitat. This is the case with this location, and they are found in great numbers.
Occur between Shark Bay and Israelite Bay from August to October.

Another orchid previously found today is also located at both sides of the road. The Small mantis orchid (Caladenia attingens subsp. gracillima) is found between Jerramungup and Israelite Bay during the period August to early-October.

A newbie for the day was next on the list. The tiny Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile) occurs between Shark Bay and Eyre during the period July to November.

An orchid which we always expect to find, but on occasions we are disappointed is the Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava). Today we are not disappointed. In fact, we find hundreds growing on the banks of the Young River in the unburnt vegetation, whilst earlier we found sporadic ones growing in the bushfire zone.

In a bushfire regrowth area green with weeds and white sandy soil we find a great patch of the Esperance king spider orchid (Caladenia decora). These orchids range from Bremer Bay to Cape Arid from mis-August to October.

Another newbie and a surprise for the day is the Pink candy orchid (Caladenia hirta subsp. rosea) which occurs between Kalbarri and Israelite Bay from late-June to September.

Intermixed with the Cowslips was another yellow-coloured orchid. The Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera) is found between Shark and Israelite Bays from July to October.

As would be expected orchids found earlier today will also be found at this location being only 10km or so north. So further specimens of the Purple enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis) are found as they occur between Kalbarri and Israelite Bay from August to early-November.

A single king type spider orchid is found which does not appear to be the Esperance king spider orchid.
Due to the lack of red colouring and the drooping petals I will name this the Heberle’s spider orchid (Caladenia heberleana). These orchids are listed as occurring between Augusta and Cape Arid during September and October.
I have posted this ID on iNaturalist and will await other opinions.

Another solitary specimen is found, this time of the Pink fairies (Caladenia latifolia) which is found between Kalbarri and Israelite Bay from August to early-December.

Upon crossing the road, the first orchid found appears to be a hybrid. The parentage was hard to decipher until we found one of the parents close by.
I have decided the parents are Caladenia attingens x barbarossa.
Posted on iNaturalist for thoughts from others.

Just past the hybrid orchid we come across one of the parents. The Common dragon orchid (Caladenia barbarossa) is found scattered at the top of the ridge above the river flat.
These orchids are found between Bindoon and Esperance from September to mid-November.

Another orchid found as two separate specimens was the Beautiful donkey orchid (Diuris pulchella) which is listed as growing between Salmon Gums and Israelite Bay from July to September. The specimens were north and south of the river.
Our location is some 50km southwest of Salmon Gums but the species is recorded at this location in the Atlas of Living Australia.

As I was taking photos of orchids found Debbie is exploring further afield and she yells out excitedly.
She has come across a vast warren of the Rabbit orchid (Leptoceras menziesii) which has flowered due to the previous summer bushfire that scorched this area.
These orchids are found growing between Northampton and Israelite Bay from September to early-November.

Close by we also found the Esperance white spider orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa) which occurs between Bremer and Israelite Bays from August to early-October.
Some may be the related Rigid white spider orchid (Caladenia longicauda subsp. rigidula) which occurs between Ravensthorpe and Israelite Bay during a similar flowering season.
The differences between the 2 species are the size of the flower and the rigidness or pendulousness of the petals and sepals.
Let me know your thoughts.

Crossing back over the river we come across more spider orchids that appear to be further Esperance king spider orchids.
However the better find was some other species of Donkey orchid. Due to the location and date found, I will be naming these the Green Range donkey orchid (Diuris littoralis) which is recorded as occurring between Denmark and Esperance from July to early-September.

Finally made it back to Fili at around 2pm and move onto another location.
16 species found at this location.
Part III to follow… Stay tuned

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.

WA Orchid Adventures

Come with me on my Orchid Adventures in Southern Western Austalia

Orchidaceae