Our tree orchid flowers every September, springtime in Brisbane, and coincides with my birthday every year. It features in many, many happy family photographs and it is the most hardy exotic flowering plant I have ever known. It wraps its delicate tendrils around an old Illawarra Flame Tree and they seem to enjoy each others company. Through drought, flooding rains and intense summer heat, it happily covers its stalks in pink flowers, needing no special care, and survives even when the possums take a nibble or two. There are suspicions that the blooms were ‘stolen’ one year when in full flower. It could have been ravenous possums, or a neighbour making a bouquet for a wedding, or perhaps a floral display at the local aged care centre. At least I like to think they were used for something lovely and not financial gain. I myself have never picked them and I doubt I ever will.

💟 © images Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2024

POSTSCRIPT: https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2019/09/28/my-tree-orchid-with-pink-flowers/
I discovered that I did a blog post about our orchid during Covid-19, a drought season, which has way more information than I remember gathering! GBW.