O n t he Wi l dflow er Tra i l – MEET THE
ORCHID HUNTER We live smack bang in the middle of one of only 34 global biodiversity hotspots with an incredible 8,000 plant species, 80% of which are endemic to the south west and are not found anywhere else in the world. Meet the wildflower whisperers who can help you find the orchids and wildflowers gracing our coast and forest. WORDS | Lizzy Pepper
The Orchid Hunter Hank Durlik has been seeking out
‘We’ve never seen anything like this!’.” He admits there’s a lot of local knowledge
wildflowers since he was a kid, “I grew up in
required to find the orchids – tiny helmet
a forestry settlement just north of Margaret
orchids on the forest floor are nearly
River surrounded by orchids. In the old days
impossible to locate, unless you know
we could pick them and have 20 varieties
exactly where to look. “It took me years to
at home in a vase. Now I photograph and
find my first Babe in the Cradle - a striking
record them in a diary, noting whether
purple orchid. Now I know exactly where it
they’re diminishing or increasing.”
grows, I can find it each year. That’s the fun
Ten years ago, Hank swapped a career in banking to start Margaret River Exposed
thing about orchids; they’re quite addictive.” October is our peak time for wildflowers,
tours, and now shares his passion with
advises Hank. “I had a botanist from London
guests. “People are gobsmacked how quickly
year before last, an orchid nut. He lobbed up
it changes from Boranup Beach straight
with a bucket list, and we found 99% and he
into a karri forest filled with orchids, back
was thrilled. There were over 100 orchids
to bright wildflowers on the Cape. I always
out at that time.”
get nervous with people from Tassie or New
Unlike wildflowers further north, where
Zealand because they’ve got amazing flora,
there’s a blanket of flowers lasting just six
forests and coast, but they get here and say,
weeks maximum, there’ll be something
Tales & Trails / margaretriver.com
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