It's been almost three years since Dave and I were able to be in the right place at the right time to hunt down Australian native orchids in their native habitat ... the woods. The last time we had the chance was back in 2016, before Mom passed away, before I was hospitalized myself, and before I was well and truly disabled (fall on a treadmill, banged up knee leading to plantar fascitis; fast forward twenty months from the fall, and I'm still trying to recover fully). The hike was a chore for me, but well worth it. Here's more evidence:
Many of these flowers are so tiny, so delicate and exotic, it's amazing to stumble over them almost in your own backyard. We live only about twenty-five minutes from Belair National Park ... and we know just where to look for these beauties!
Hunting orchids means hiking a long way while staring fixedly at the ground. Along the way, you'll also find a tremendous wealth of other wild flowers, which might not be as rare and exotic as orchids, but they're fleeting and beautiful...
Now, the last time we hunted orchids, it was mainly spider orchids we saw. This time around, we met a gent in the park who certainly sounded like an expert, but he said the spider orchids were all gone, we were too late this year. Here's where it gets a trifle odd: in 2016, we found a wealth of them -- in November. Hmm. I'm wondering if he mixed them up with some other kind, and if it would be worth going back at the end of October, and taking a look. Because we certainly found them in November a few years ago. Worth a try???
Spring has sprung in Belair, and it's the best time of the year:
...and this, above, is the very track we were walking when we found some of the most beautiful orchids. At the very beginning of October, there was real power in the sun. Enough to work up a sweat. Alas, these flowers won't last long ... we were lucky to be there on the right day.
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