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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Stirling Ranges National Park Orchids, Western Australia

 Hi everyone, I hope you and your families are all doing ok. 

Back in September we stayed for a few days in the Mount Trio Bushcamp and Caravan Park which is located at the foot of the Stirling Ranges in Western Australia's south west.  I blogged about it briefly here - Scarlet Banksia

The Stirling Ranges National Park was devastated by last summer's bushfires in Western Australia. More than 40,000 hectares was lost through the bushfire which swept through the Park.

The Park is a biodiversity hotspot containing more than 1,500 species of plants, at least 87 of which are found nowhere else in the world and some of which may be lost forever. Conservationists say it may take centuries to recover.


While we were there we went on a guided bushwalk with Jarrad in the bush around the edge of the camp. This walk is run daily, depending on numbers and weather, from 1st September to 31 October. During the one and a half hour easy walk we saw 26 wild orchid species as well as many other wildflowers. Jarrad said that if we came back in October we would see other varieties. Over the years they have seen around 50 varieties. During our own explorations around the National Park we saw another 10 varieties. 36 in total.

According to my "Guide to Native orchids of South Western Australia by Bob Liddelow, there are over 300 orchids species in Western Australia.

This week I share them with you. If you click on the collages below you can see the names. However I am not an expert so I apologise in advance for any inaccuracies. 

You really have to watch where you are walking and have eagle eyes because some of these orchids are tiny, as you can see here. My husband is a great orchid spotter. 


Below are the 36 orchids


Some orchids, like the Red Beaks love burnt earth and often grow in colonies where there have been summer bushfires. We saw lots of these growing in the burnt ground around the Park. We were told some orchids can lay dormant for years waiting for a bushfire. 




Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed seeing these orchids. 

References:
Guide to Native Orchids of South Western Australia - by Bob Liddelow
Wildflowers of the Stirling Ranges - by B Fuhrer and N Marchant
Colour Guide to Spring Wildflowers of Western Australia - Part 2, Perth and Southwest - by Eddy Wajon
Guide to Wildflowers od South Western Australia - by Simon Nevill & Nathan McQuoid

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Stay safe and have a wonderful week.  

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!


Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.
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16 comments:

  1. Carol @Comfort Spring Station12 October 2020 at 09:51

    so much delicate beauty

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  2. Angie12 October 2020 at 12:36

    Jill - you know how much I love orchids, so this post is a balm to my soul. I was interested in how many of them might be responding to the fires, and you mentioned one that appears most in burned areas. Should there have been other varieties if not for the fire, or is this group pretty typical of what you would see? Maybe I should not be, but I am really encouraged that there are so many in a short time after the fires. Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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  3. Little Wandering Wren12 October 2020 at 16:09

    Greeting from I was going to say the 'Land of Orchids' but I reckon your part of Australia should win the award today - beautiful orchids Jill
    Have a lovely week
    Wren x

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  4. Rosie12 October 2020 at 16:54

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos of the orchids. I have never seen so many different ones, so now I will have to search even harder when or if we get to WA next year. I am going to look at my few photos of orchids I found when in WA a few years ago and hope to put a name to them now. Thanks again.

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  5. eileeninmd12 October 2020 at 17:50

    Hello Jill,

    What a wonderful park and trip! The wild orchids are beautiful, I would have loved this guided walk. Beautiful photos. Take care, enjoy your day. Have a great new week!

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  6. Elkes Lebensglück12 October 2020 at 19:15

    I am so impressed by this breathtaking variety of orchids. You look so fragile!
    Have a good day and Take care of yourself!!!

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  7. Dawn12 October 2020 at 20:54

    I had no idea there were THAT many different orchids! So beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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  8. Rain 13 October 2020 at 00:11

    Those flowers are very unusual looking, they all have their unique beauty, great photos!

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  9. kwarkito13 October 2020 at 12:03

    A wonderful serie of rare flowers. And of amzing pictures. Beauty and perfection in the nature...

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  10. NCSue13 October 2020 at 23:45

    You captured some gorgeous macros, Jill!
    Thank you for joining this week at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-fungus-is-among-us-mushrooms.html

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  11. junieper/Jesh13 October 2020 at 23:56

    I love it when you go these trips showing orchids. It's mind boggling to find all of these where you live, and we are in for a feast of your excellent and poetic captures of these. Cannot thank you enough for sharing them with us at All Seasons! Right now, the rose is my most favorite,and orchids come right after that, when living in California. May opinion is pulled to the side of the orchids for them to be in first place, if I would live where you do! Have a grand rest of the week, Jesh

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  12. Yvonne14 October 2020 at 22:57

    Isn't it something the beauty that evolves after a wildfire frees up the space. I didn't realize so many orchids existed in Australia. What a wonderful trip for you.

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  13. Villrose15 October 2020 at 00:13

    So sad with the bush fires.
    Orchids, and especially the wild ones are amazing! Wonderful photos of them!
    We have a few in Norway as well.

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  14. Powell River Books15 October 2020 at 03:22

    I would so love to visit Australia and rent a camper. - Margy

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  15. Jill16 October 2020 at 00:04

    This is simply an amazing place! It's so sad to hear of the devastation of the bush fires but your lovely photos made me feel better. So stunning!

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  16. betty-NZ16 October 2020 at 14:26

    Fabulous orchids! Our new garden has them so I will tend them for the first time in my life :)

    Your link at 'My Corner of the World' this week is greatly appreciated!!

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I hope you have enjoyed your visit to my blog. Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to comment. I read and very much appreciate every comment and love hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return.