Orchid season 2022 begins

The 2022 orchid season kicks off with the first ones to emerge here in W.A. The leafless orchid, the white bunnies and hare orchids. Although slipper orchids have been around for months during the warmer weather, you can see this is the beginnings of orchids for the year, there are flowers of a few and there are new leaves emerging.

The leafless orchids are beautifully colourful and quite prolific in many areas of the south west.

 

 

Especially prolific in under-story areas of open sheoak forest where I was looking.

 

Slipper orchids have an unusually shaped flower, one of the only orchids to flower over the summer in the SW of Western Australia, and also one of the few orchids to have perennial leaves so you can spot the plant any time of the year, then come back in summer to check the flower.

 

Yeah, Eriochilus dilatatus subspecies multiflorus is a catchy name isn’t it. These are the first orchids I get to see down here around the Denmark area. I thought they should be called angry bird orchids when you look closely at them, and I’ve made a post all about this if you’re interested.

These cupped banded greenhood orchids are interesting, at first I thought perhaps they look a little like a T-rex head, but I figured maybe they were the basis of the plant in Little shop of horrors.

 

Maybe a bit unfair on them, they’re an interesting orchid.

I’m now based up near the Stirling Ranges working for a while which is great, I’ll be getting the whole orchid season in one of the richest areas of flora in the world.

I also managed to find a lutea or albino version of the orchid, an unusual looking thing.

 

 

These guys are cute, they are only small but they’ve been widespread around the Stirling Ranges.

The Red-veined shell orchids were out in force if you can find the right spots for them.

 

 

 

 

The narrow-hooded shells are only tiny and not quite as thick on the ground, though fairly widespread.

 

Banded greenhoods are common and everywhere, and I probably haven’t given them as much time or attention as they deserve, maybe it’s because they seem so common, or perhaps because they are just green and not very showy.

 

 

There have been a lot of the scented leek orchids around too, and they are widespread around the south west, though just quietly I couldn’t smell them.

 

Donkey orchids or Diuris sp are just starting to show up adding a splash of colour to your day out hunting. I’m not sure exactly what species these are, very pretty though.

 

Queen of Sheba orchids are on their way and I’ve been visiting them weekly watching and waiting as they slowly send up their flower spikes. You have to love their spiral leaves.

Now last but not least are the mosquito orchids, tiny little things with small flat ground hugging leaves.