Australian Native Orchids - The Blue Silky Orchid
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (342285)
Rockingham, Australia
September 14, 2016 8:12pm CST
We took our couch-surfing friend from New Mexico to see the gnomes yesterday and also called in at another spot where there were supposed to be wildflowers. We didn't find much that was special but this one was pretty special.
There are a surprising number of Australia wild orchids and it's worth a Google search to see some of the more weird and wonderful ones. This beautiful blue orchid is a 'silky blue orchid' and from what I've read isn't endangered.
There are 107 genera of orchids and over 800 species with more being found each year. They can be very difficult to find. This blue one was on its own in the middle of some common yellow wildflowers. We very carefully searched an area around it but didn't see another and it is open woodland there, so if there was another we should have found it. Whatever – isn't it just the prettiest little flower?
27 people like this
30 responses
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
@toniganzon Vince has a very good camera and can blur the background etc which helps make a really good photo.
3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
15 Sep 16
oh wow! what a beautiful treat to find, ms. judy. what a gorgeous blue that'd be. i fear there's no wild orchids 'round these parts. i'd so love to see all the wildflowers'n orchids that're native to yer lands. that's amazin' 't how many species y'ave got there.
3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
15 Sep 16
@JudyEv 's there'n extension office there where ya live? sometimes they can be most helpful with such.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
@crazyhorseladycx That's true. I might print a couple we're having trouble with and take them in.
2 people like this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
15 Sep 16
@JudyEv That'd be beautiful. :)
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
15 Sep 16
It really is a lovely flower. You are giving your guest a great tour.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
15 Sep 16
@JudyEv How do the couch surfers find you? Well, I'm sure they find you gracious and hospitable, but is it something like Air B & B?
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
@JamesHxstatic A bit like that I guess but it is free. There is a website you can join. Some can't offer a couch or bed but might meet travellers for a coffee, a walking tour or just a chat. We used an Air B&B in Dubai on our way home last October.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
15 Sep 16
It's lovely. I thought orchids required humidity.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
15 Sep 16
@JudyEv I like wild flowers best of all. Once I lived between two other female teachers. We became friends, bought huge bags of wildflower seeds and broadcast them at the back 1/3 of our half acre lots. Gorgeous year after year.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
@ElizabethWallace How nice that must have been. You can buy packets of everlasting seeds. They seem easy to grow. Some of the others can be bought as seedlings but some aren't grown in home gardens at all.
@silvermist (19702)
• India
16 Sep 16
@JudyEv Such A lovely flower.It was photographed well.So this is your discussion no 400.Congratulations.I know it because I saw your discussion 401.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Sep 16
@silvermist I don't know that at all! :)
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
15 Sep 16
It's a very pretty flower.
I checked out Gnomeville.....if I ever make it to Australia I will need to see Gnomeville and find the geocache.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
Is there a geocache there? My husband picked up a little leaflet about geocaching. I wonder if this will make him want to join? I'm not worried one way or the other.
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
15 Sep 16
@JudyEv there are geocaches hidden almost everywhere. Some areas have more than others, but they are anywhere that there are geocachers.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
@Morleyhunt That's very interesting. I must research it further.
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
15 Sep 16
so beautiful orchid and it is not sold in the stores. here in my place, orchids are sold and they cost much.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 16
@ridingbet Most can't/won't be cultivated here either. They are too hard to grow in 'captivity'.
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@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
16 Sep 16
@JudyEv is that so? that is why i have not come across seeing an orchid like that here in my place
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
15 Sep 16
Also I love the copyright stamp on the photo- how does one do that?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 16
@MarymargII I might have to PM you when I find out. You can download a free copy of PhotoScape but I don't know what you do next. It didn't work first time on my computer and we haven't had time to try it again. Photos have to be below 2 megabytes to load. I think that's right. I mostly make mine around or under 1 megabyte. That is the most obvious reason - size is too large.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
17 Sep 16
@JudyEv Yes, you should too and I don't know how he does it- that's a gorgeous photo. Just tried to download a pic to my latest discussion and it won't work- don't know why either.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
15 Sep 16
My God it is gorgeous- how lovely to have them growing wildly like that- I must admit I'd be tempted to pick that one and take it home! Such a gorgeous shade of Blue!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
Thanks. It is only little but certainly packs a punch.
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
The wildflowers around springtime are very pretty. And there are quite a lot of them.
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
We only found the one like this. We did find some pink orchids and some spider orchids.
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
15 Sep 16
such a lovely flower, and lovely in it's setting
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342285)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Sep 16
I really don't know. Unless they attract insects. It is difficult to find out much about the various orchids bar identifying them by finding matching photographs.
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
15 Sep 16
loved the blue orchids..hadn't seen them before.
1 person likes this
