We are very fortunate to have friends who know much more than we do about the native plants on our land.  It turns out that our property is rich in native orchids and native lillies.   A couple of weeks ago, we had 6 species of native orchid in flower, and another six to ten which would bloom over the Summer period.  Even when we know they are there, it is so difficult to spot them – they are tiny.

At the time I took these photos, the most common native orchid we could see were Nodding Green Hoods and Blunt Green Hoods.  Also spotted by our friend were Mosquito Orchid, Gnat Orchid, March Fly Orchid, and here my memory begins to fade…  I should have written the names down.

The Nodding Green Hoods and Blunt Green Hoods were largely located in cleared land beneath the native eucalypts among various patches of grass, moss, and lichen. According to our friend who knows about such things, they were very plentiful.  Probably this is because the land has not been grazed – nor has it been cultivated.  This gives us food for thought when we consider if we will eventually buy one or two grazing animals.

The Mosquito Orchid, Gnat Orchid and March Fly Orchid were found in the section of uncleared land at the back of our property.  Growing on paths wide enough for a vehicle to move around the boundary fence, these tiny orchids were invisible to the unpracticed eye.  I don’t have a camera with a lens capable of capturing them – even if I could find them again without help.

Our uncleared bush mostly looks like this:

However, on the South side of the property, we have a patch of native grassland, which shows the diversity of the habitat on our fifteen acres of land.

I enjoy the combination of a small cultivated garden, with the backdrop of mature eucalypts, dotted with native flowers.   Here are a few more photos of the plants in our garden.