Down in the woods - hunting for wild orchids - Western Australia

Down in the woods over the weekend we went hunting for wild orchids. Though in Western Australia we call it the "bush" not the "woods". 

September is the perfect time to find wild orchids in our bushland, particularly in the wheatbelt, midwest and southwest. 
I've blogged about hunting for wild orchids before here - Hunting for wild orchids in Western Australia's mid-west

 Specifically I went to find the Queen of Sheba orchid - Thelymitra variegata

 It has been a couple of years since we had seen this beautiful orchid in banksia-jarrah bushland about fifteen minutes drive from our home. Difficult to find, but instantly recognizable, there are at least three different forms of this rare species, with scattered populations from Dongara to Esperance and flowering late June in the north to September in the south.

Unfortunately on this particular bush-walk we didn't find the Queen. We did however see other orchids. 

And I asked two kangaroos who peered at me through the scrubland if they had seen the Queen. They just blinked at me and then bounded away. Perhaps they had seen her. I've read that they love snacking on the petals of the Queen of Sheba.


Below are some of the orchids we saw - (please note I am not a botanist, so I can't absolutely identify the exact species, just family names).
 Clockwise from top left -
Reaching spider orchid - Caladenia arrecta, White spider orchid, Donkey orchid, Blue Lady Orchid - Thelymitra crinita, Pink Fairy orchid, Leak orchid, Scented Sun orchid, Enamel orchid, and in the centre one of the Cowslip orchids.  

 I was very happy to see the Reaching spider orchid, as this is a new one to me. 
The Leak orchid was enjoying growing in an area of burnt out bushland which they favour. 

 There are many species of sun orchids, which as the name implies rely on the sun to open, as in this case, the beautiful Blue Lady Orchid - Thelymitra crinita.

 During our recent trip up to the mid-west, wheatbelt, and goldfields, which I started blogging about last week - (please click here if you missed it - Wildflower hunting and taking time out) - I enjoyed hunting over the granite rocks for orchids. Granite rocks in particular in our wheatbelt area, are havens for orchids, which gather in the rock gardens or under bushes on the rocks, like these Lemon Scented Sun Orchids at Karalee Rock, just north of the Great Eastern Highway, east of Southern Cross. 
You have to look carefully to find orchids, as they are quite often very small, and hidden under bushes or overhanging branches.

Here are some of the other orchids we saw at Karalee Rock. 
Starting top left - Snail orchid, Clown orchid (I love his stripey pants) , and Scented Sun orchid
from bottom left - Lemon Scented sun orchid, Silky Blue orchid, and Donkey orchids. 

Of course there were lots of other wildflowers too, not just orchids, but I will be back next week with some more pics from our trip. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. Do you have a favourite place for looking for wildflowers? Perhaps you would like to share in your comments. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

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