Look for a Donkey and a cow ? You will find them here in the Baldivis Nature Reserve, disguised as orchids.
To a botanist, orchids are known as "Orchidacege" but you and I know them by their wonderfully descriptive names "Dancing Spider Orchid, Tiger Sun Orchid, and Rosy Cheeked Donkey Orchid. Prolific here in the reservce from June to November, orchids are thought to be the largest group of flowering plants in the world.. 10% of all the flowering plants on this planet are orchids Some 25,000 species of orchids have been named, almost 400 of these orchids can be found in our southwest region, including right here in Rockingham
800 new species are found each year. Many more await discovery.....maybe even by you !!!!
The orchid family of plants has been classified as the highest evolved form of plant life on earth. They can however be divided in two simple groups.
TERRESTIAL: those which grow on the ground
EPIPHYTIC: those which grow on trees and rocks
As you walk along this trail during orchid season (June-November), you can see the most popular and common donkey orchidand cowslip orchid. All of these orchids aretermed "Geophytes"meaning they are deciduous, having a dormant phase where they survive the dry summer by dying back to the leafy underground. You may not necessarily see the same orchids again next year,they might not reappear in the same places or flower at the same times. This is all part of what makes orchidsintriguing and fascinating.