Exploring Boyatup’s Unique Orchids

List of Orchids Found, Sunday Drive, Western Australian Orchids

17/08/2025

Today we head east of Esperance along Fisheries Road until we reach our first planned location, Boyatup ¹ (Mud Map SE40).
Making our way along the track, then along the edges of the gravel pit, next along the track up to the Hill and finally checking the low granite areas to the SE of the hill/west of the track.
Many orchids were found and I have listed them with at least 1 photo for recording purposes.

Jug Orchid

(Pterostylis recurva)

A common species found from Geraldton to Israelite Bay.

Flowers from August to October.

Dancing spider orchid

Caladenia discoidea

A distinctive species found from Kalbarri to Israelite Bay.

Flowers between August and early-October.

Blue Beard

Pheladenia deformis

Common species found from Murchison River to Israelite Bay.

Flower between mid-May and October.

Boyatup china orchid

Cyanicula sp. “Boyatup”

A restricted orchid growing from Condingup to Boyatup Hill.

Flowers in August and September, though usually only in the season following a summer fire.

Green Range donkey orchid

Diuris littoralis

Occurs in coastal and near coastal habitats from Denmark to Esperance.

Flowers between July and early-September.

Common bee orchid

Diuris decrementum

Common species found from Wongan Hills to Israelite Bay.

Flowers between August and early-Octpber.

Esperance king spider orchid

Caladenia decora

Common species found from Bremer Bay to Cape Arid.

Flowering between mid-August and October.

Common spider orchid

Caladenia varians

Widespread orchid found from Kalbarri to Esperance.

Flowers between July and mid-October.

Mosquito orchid

Cyrtostylis robusta

Widespread species found from Perth to Israelite Bay.

Flowers between June and August.

Beautiful donkey orchid

Diuris pulchella

Widespread eastern range from Salmon Gums to Israelite Bay.

Flowers between July and September

Mallee banded greenhood

Pterostylis arbuscula

Short-statured species found from Dalwallinu to Eyre Bird Observatory.

Flowers between June and September.

Cream spider orchid

Caladenia horistes

Common species found from Fitzgerald River N.P. to Balladonia.

Flowers between August and early-October.

Western tiny blue orchid

Cyanicula aperta

Common species found from Dumbleyung to Mt Ragged.

Flowers between August and early-October.

After two and a half hours and 13 species found, we make tracks for the next spot, which is totally unplanned.
In the location of Howick we find a new location. (Howick¹)
Refer to next post for details>>

Exploring Orchids at Dempster Head: A Local Hotspot

Dempster Head, Esperance, Western Australian Orchids

12/08/2025

A local orchid hotspot is the granite headland we call Dempster Head. We also refer to it as the Rotary Lookout for a very obvious reason!!
It being a beautiful, cloudless, sunny winters day, what better way to spent it than searching for the usual orchid suspects.

The first orchid found is the Mosquito orchid (Cyrtostylis robusta) which flower between June and August over a southerly range from Perth to Israelite Bay.
I located my orchids flowering under overhanding bushes on the walk trail edges. The ground hugging circular leaves grow in large numbers and are what you first notice. Then on a closer inspection you discover a few flowering specimens.

Snail orchids are also found scattered around the site. The exact species is difficult to name due to both Pterostylis voigtii and P. meridionalis named as growing in this region.
Both these orchids are smaller, grow in shallow soil pockets on granite outcrops, have bloated appearance, flared petals and slightly thickened lateral sepals.
Either they are the Eastern granite snail orchid or the Southern thick-sepaled snail orchid.
I have named as I believe them to be, however, any assistance in identifying these little guys would be appreciated.

Next up is an orchid that appears to have a restricted range in the Esperance region. The Spectacled donkey orchid (Diuris conspicillata) is listed as growing in shallow soil pockets on coastal granite outcrops in the Esperance area, which Dempster Head is an example of.
They get their name from the dark markings on the inner part of the labellum lateral lobes, which gives an impression of wearing glasses.
They are found scattered over Dempster Head usually in exposed areas but protected by a surrounding prickly shrub.

Another orchid with round ground hugging leaves is found, also growing underneath over hanging bushes.
The Crystal helmet orchid (Corysanthes limpida) is found from Walpole to Israelite Bay growing in sandy soils in coastal woodlands and shrublands.
When you come across the leaves you could mistake them for Mosquito orchids however the flowers are much shorter until they are fertilised, at which time the stem can extend up to 300mm in height.
Similarly to the Mosquito orchids, many leaves may be found but usually only a handful will produce flowers.

Not too bad a day with finding some orchids. Amazingly all orchids found belonged to a different genus.
Pterostylis, Cyrtostylis, Diuris and Corysanthes.

Amazingly I am posting this exactly 1 year later. Today however is not a beautiful fine sunny winters day, but a cold overcast winters day, hence I have time indoors to complete this post.

Discovering Orchids on a 10000km Australian Road Trip

Brockway Timber Reserve, National Parks, Numerous days, Road Trip

We are on our return trip to WA after visiting QLD for the camel races at Boulia. We are towing our camper trailer with our new Isuzu and decided to camp overnight in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in Victoria.

We have a scout around before setting up camp on the 31/07/2025 but find nothing, so end up enjoying a wonderful night around a campfire, with a nearby school camp group keeping us entertained.

The next morning after packing away the camper we look at the display in the Visitors’ Centre before checking out a walk trail near the entrance to the park.
It is along this trail that we stumble across, firstly rosettes, then buds and finally fully open snail orchids.

I have decided they may well be the Dwarf greenhood (Pterostylis nana) as Atlas of Living Australia records them at our location.

The next time we successfully find orchids is on the 08/08/2025 at Newman Rocks in Fraser Range back in WA. The area is signposted as being a part of the Ngadju Indigenous Protected Area.

We have a quick scout around the low-lying granite outcrop and locate a few orchids.

Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa) and
?? greenhood (Pterostylis sp.).

Not much found so we move onto Norseman where we stay overnight at the Railway Hotel (The Railway Motel & Woodlands Guesthouse) in one of their offsite motel units.
We did get to eat breakfast in the Art Deco style hotel next morning before heading off on our last day of the trip.

We decide to venture along the Old Coach Road / Norseman Heritage Trail to try some new locations for possible orchids in flower.

Along this trail we get to check out historical locations, the Brockway Tree Reserve and old Dundas townsite.

Along the trail we also take the opportunity to search for orchids.
The following orchids were found:

Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica) and
Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa).

A rosette of a Rufa greenhood and leaves of Thelymitra sp. orchids were also found and pics taken.
Norseman Heritage Trail completed, so now we move southward towards home.

We decide on one more stop before making tracks for home. We check out McPherson’s Rocks at Bromus Dam.
Here we finally find orchids outside of the Pterostylis genus in flower.

The Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae),
Sugar orchid (Ericksonella saccharata) and
Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava)
break the Pterostylis genus monopoly of this trip.

Of course, more Pterostylis species are found as well:
Hairy-stemmed snail orchid and
Midget greenhood.

Not much to show for a 10000km trip however the majority of the trip was through the arid centre of Australia. Feature image shows the map of our 10000km trek.

Australia is such an amazing place.

Banner for Great Southern BioBlitz wildlife exploration event with people walking below in a forest

2024 Great Southern BioBlitz

Esperance, Helms Arboretum, List of Orchids Found, Western Australian Orchids

It is the 20th September and I am participating in the Great Southern BioBlitz (GSB) this year.
The GSB runs from the 20th to 23rd of September.
The purpose of the GSB is to record as many observations in iNaturalist of any living thing or trace of such (i.e. feathers, footprints etc.).
Due to its proximity to Esperance and its unusually high diversity I will be checking out Helms Arboretum (Mud Map SE35).
I recorded all species I photographed on iNaturalist but will only record the orchids in this BLOG

*Caladenia flava subsp. flava* – Cowslip orchid

18/09/2024 – Helms Arboretum revisited

Esperance, Helms Arboretum, List of Orchids Found, Western Australian Orchids

After what seems like forever, we finally get back to check out Helms Arboretum to see what is flowering in mid-September.

As expected, we are not disappointed with many different species found.

Listed in no particular order are the orchids found grouped together for recording purposes.

Purple enamel orchid

Elythranthera brunonis

Flower: Aug to early Nov

Cowslip orchid

Caladenia flava subsp. flava

Flower: Jul to early Dec

Little pink fairy

Caladenia reptans subsp. reptans

Flower: Jul to early Oct

Un-named hybrid orchid

Caladenia flava x C. reptans

Parents flower: July to early Oct / Dec

Lemon-scented sun orchid

Thelymitra antennifera

Flower: Jul to Oct

?? snail orchid

Pterostlyis sp.

Unsure of ID.. Possibly the un-named species assigned to Helms Arboretum

Bee orchid

Diuris laxiflora

Flower: Sept to early Nov

Common bee orchid

Diuris decrementa

Flower: Late Aug to early Nov

Red beaks

Pyrorchis nigricans

Flower: Aug to Oct

Un-named hybrid orchid

Thelymitra antennifera x T.graminea

T. antennifera flowers: Jul to Oct

Shy sun orchid

Thelymitra graminea

Flower: Sept to mid-Nov

Esperance king spider orchid

Caladenia decora

Flower: Mid-Aug to Oct

Heberle’s spider orchid

Caladenia heberleana

Flower: Sept to Oct

Un-named hybrid spider orchid

Caladenia decora x C. longicauda

I have decided name this hybrid the Esperance spider orchid due to both parents being names Esperance King and Esperance White respectively.

Flower: Aug to Oct

Rattle Beaks

Lyperanthus serratus

Flower: Sept to Nov

Zebra orchid

Caladenia cairnsiana

Flower: Aug to early-Nov

Esperance white spider orchid

Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa

Flower: Aug to early-Oct

?? spider orchid

Caladenia sp.

Appears to be further Caladenia longicauda. However, they do not have the usual white colouring or the red labellum of a C.decora hybrid.

Esperance white spider orchid

Caladenia longicauda subsp. crassa

Hypochromic variant

Common mignonette orchid

Microtis media subsp. media

Flower: Sept to Jan

Well, it was an amazing day out in the Arboretum, with the finds including 3 different hybrids and a hypochromic variant.
Species from 8 different genera were located which confirms this location to be one of the premier spots in the SE Coastal area of WA.

Unfortunately, in the summer of 2024/25 an uncontrolled bush fire destroyed large areas of the arboretum and to this day (12/06/2026 it is closed to the public.

Fingers crossed it will be open before the 2026 season is finished.

Discovering Unique Orchids in Goldfields Region – Final day of our Pub Crawl trip

List of Orchids Found, Nature Reserves, Numerous days, Road Trip, Victoria Rock NR, Western Australian Orchids

15/09/2024

We check out of the York Hotel in Kalgoorlie, then say our goodbyes to Bob n Jan who are heading straight home to Esperance.
Deb and I on the other hand have more orchid hunting to achieve on our return home.

First point of call is Victoria Rock Nature Reserve at 10am on this beautiful Sunday morning. For the next 2hrs or so we wander around the rock and surrounding woodland. The flies are terrible, so we actually wear our head nets on this exploration. We are rewarded for our perseverance with some good orchids found.

In no particular order the following orchids were located and photographed:

Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile),
Dainty brown rufous greenhood (Pterostylis tryphera),
Desert mignonette orchid (Microtis eremicola),
Ant / Clown orchid (Caladenia roei),
Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae),
Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera) and
Granite sun orchid (Thelymitra petrophila).

Numerous hybrid orchids were an exciting find.
Parents are the Lemon-scented sun orchid and the Granite sun orchid, both of which have been found at this location.

*Thelymitra antennifera x T. petrophila* (Yet to fully open)

Onwards to our next location, we head south down Victoria Rock Road and turn left onto the Hyden-Norseman Road.
Upon reaching the Coolgardie-Esperance we make a right turn, then pass through Norseman.
Our next location, Bromus Dam is to the right of the highway some 30kms south of Norseman.
We head straight for the McPherson’s Rocks granite outcrop and start our exploration.

We are fortunate to find the following orchids in flower:

Cream spider orchid (Caladenia horistes),
Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile),
Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava) and
Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae).

We need to keep on moving closer to home, so we make tracks south along the highway as far as Circle Valley to check out the woodlands surrounding the salt lakes.
Here we find the Short-sepaled spider orchid (Caladenia brevisura) in good numbers with one lonely Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica) and a all but spent spider orchid (ID unknown).

Well, that is our final stop on the Pub Crawl road trip done and dusted.

Our trip with Bob n Jan started back on the 7th of September.
We stayed overnight in some interesting pubs:
Newdegate Hotel
Kukerin Community Hub
Cuballing Tavern
Hotel Beverley
Greenhills Inn
Koorda Hotel
Palace Hotel – Southern Cross
York Hotel – Kalgoorlie

A wonderful road trip enjoyed with good friends.

Orchid Hunting Adventures, Southern Cross to Kalgoorlie: Pub Crawl Day 8

Condarnin Rock NR, List of Orchids Found, Nature Reserves, Numerous days, Road Trip, Western Australian Orchids

14/09/2024

After a restful sleep we grab breakfast at the local cafe, the Southern Star Cafe. Then we again hit the road. Bob and Jan head off for Coolgardie, whilst we use good old Google Maps to find a possible orchid location.
Condarnin Rock Nature Reserve is chosen. We take the road south just after the burnt out Yellowdine Roadhouse.
It turned out to be a good choice as we discovered the following orchids:
Narrow-lipped dragon orchid (Caladenia mesocera),
Clown / Ant orchid (Caladenia roei),
Dainty blue orchid (Cyanicula amplexans),
Spoon-lipped rufous greenhood (Pterostylis spathulata),
Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae),
Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera),
Granite sun orchid (Thelymitra petrophila),
Little frog greenhood (Pterostylis occulta) and
Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile).

Numerous spider orchids from the Filamentosa complex were also found.
I however find identifying these orchids very difficult so will provide my options for the species names and pictures of the orchids.
Any assistance in naming these would be greatly appreciated. I have also posted then on iNaturalist for similar assistance.

Ironcaps / Mystery spider orchid (Caladenia paradoxa)
Chameleon spider orchid (C. dimidia)
Glistening spider orchid (C. incensum)
Western wispy spider orchid (C. microchila)
Banded ironstone spider orchid (C. saxicola)
Common spider orchid (C. varians)

From here we drove directly to Kalgoorlie where we caught up with Bob n Jan at the York Hotel, which is out last pub of this road trip.

It has been a blast!!!!

Orchid Hunting Adventures, Koorda to Southern Cross: Pub Crawl Day 7

List of Orchids Found, Numerous days, Road Trip, Western Australian Orchids, Wundowlin NR

13/09/2024

Breakfast in Koorda before we head east toward Mukinbudin, where we make our first orchid hunting stop at Wundowlin Nature Reserve.
Orchids discovered at this location include:
Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera),
Dainty blue orchid (Cyanicula amplexans),
Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile)
and
Chameleon spider orchid (Caladenia dimidia).

Passing through Mukinbudin we come across an amazing mural featuring black cockatoos and Blue beard orchids, painted by Tammi de Rooy @tammiderooyart, which by the way is the feature image of this post.
Next, we head southeast towards Westonia.

On the way we make another orchid hunting stop at Boodallin Soak located in the Westonia Common. After a quick check of the well Bob n Jan head into Westonia for an explore whilst we explore the granite outcrop.
Orchids found include:
Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae),
Little laughing leek orchid,
Western wispy spider orchid (Caladenia microchila),
Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica),
Dainty blue orchid,
Slender rufous greenhood (Pterostylis macrosceles)
and
Pink candy orchid (Caladenia hirta subsp. rosea).

After arriving in Westonia we enjoy lunch with Bob and Jan at the Cafe/Supermarket. They then go to check out the museum whilst we explore the Woodlands & Wildflowers Heritage Trail for orchids. This walk trail is also contained in the Westonia Common.
Orchids found include:
Dainty blue orchid with an Albino form found,
Little laughing leek orchid,
Ant / Clown orchid (Caladenia roei),
Granite sun orchid (Thelymitra petrophila),
Spoon-lipped rufous greenhood (Pterostylis spathulata) and
Spider orchids of the Filamentosa complex.
Unable to identify with a high probability of correctness, so have posted 4 pics of the various forms found.

Nearly 3pm so we had better keep moving. We hit the Great Eastern Hwy and venture eastward as far as Bodallin¹where we make another exploration stop.
Many more Filamentosa complex spider orchids are found.
I’ll not attempt to name them, but I’ll use iNaturalist.com for assistance and make edits as needed. Other than C. microchila and C. dimidia already listed today other possible species are:
Glistening spider orchid (Caladenia incensum),
Banded Ironstone spider orchid (Caladenia saxicola),
Common spider orchid (Caladenia varians).

Other orchids found include the
Dainty blue orchid,
Ant / Clown orchid,
Little laughing leek orchid,
Yellow granite donkey orchid,
Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa),
and
Little frog greenhood (Pterostylis occulta).

It is nearly 4pm so we move onto our next overnight accommodation, where we again catch up with Jan and Bob.
The Palace Hotel in Southern Cross was a comfortable hotel with great meals. We hit the sack content.

Orchid Hunting Adventures, Greenhills to Koorda : Pub Crawl Day 6

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

12/09/2024

After a wonderful sleep in beautifully restored and decorated bedrooms we leave Greenhills but not before checking out a few of the historic landmarks.
Next on the days agenda is a visit to Meckering which was the site of an earthquake back in 1968. Memorial visited as well as a ruined homestead.
Lunch is enjoyed in the townsite of Minnivale where I have a quick orchid hunt.
I stumble across the Western wheatbelt donkey orchid (Diuris brachyscapa).

Travelling in a NW direction we check out Mollerin Rock and it’s nearby Nature Reserve.
After a 2hr search the following orchids were encountered:
Lemon-scented sun orchid (Thelymitra antennifera),
Little laughing leek orchid (Prasophyllum gracile),
Small flowered donkey orchid (Diuris porrifolia),
Ant / Clown orchid (Caladenia roei),
Dainty blue orchid (Cyanicula amplexans),
Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava),
Candy orchid (Caladenia hirta),
?? rufous greenhood (Pterostylis sp.),
Drooping spider orchid (Caladenia radialis)
and possibly the
Salt Lake spider orchid (Caladenia exilis subsp. exilis)??

Well as we have runout of time today, we make our way back down south to Koorda where we check into the Koorda Hotel for our overnight stay.

At least 11 species found today, so not too bad a day given we played tourist for a good part of it.

WA Orchid Adventures

Come with me on my Orchid Adventures in Southern Western Austalia

Pterostylis

Exploring Orchids at Dempster Head: A Local Hotspot

Discovering Orchids on a 10000km Australian Road Trip