When I was first introduced to Australian native orchids, I couldn’t even see them. I’ve never been a fan of the big, gaudy orchids you see in ornate vases so prized by their growers, but these little fellas are another thing entirely.
‘Look at this one,’ my husband would say, ‘what a beauty.’
‘What? Where?’
‘There, right in front of you.’
‘Really? I can’t see…’
‘Don’t step on it.’
‘What...oh, there, oh now I see it.’
Several expeditions later, even roaming around the bush on a
mountainside during our honeymoon, I began to acquire the right depth of focus
to locate the many different species in amongst grasses, around the base of
trees and squeezed in the tiniest nooks and crannies in their natural habitat.
Now it’s like second nature, and I am beckoned to certain areas in the bush each
year at this time to seek out these tiny delicate flowers, waiting for each
variety to pop up at its appointed time from late winter through to mid-summer.
No grandiose announcement, showing off in front of a panel of judges, just a
quiet, unassuming entrance into some pre-ordained spot, displaying its
short-lived beauty for someone like me to simply venture upon it and smile in appreciation.
Focus on the ground
terrestrial orchids rise
mighty miniatures
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