The world's rarest orchid

We discovered a great camping spot outside of Bremer Bay, Tozer’s Bush Camp. Robert Tozer was a farmer and instead of clearing 700+ acres for more farming he decided to set up a bush camp and preserve the native vegetation. It is now a huge drawcard for plant lovers from around the world, especially those chasing orchids. Tozer’s boasts 50 orchid species but it is just one that most people come for - the Queen of Sheba orchid (Theylmitra variegate). It takes between seven and 10 years to flower. It comes in different shades of pink, purple, orange and purple because it is basically a sun orchid that relies on insects to pollinate it. Sun orchids trick insects into thinking they are going to get a reward for pollinating, but they get nothing. To stop the insects from being disappointed and learning not to visit, sun orchids come in different colours. Devious.

Here it is, the world’s rarest orchid.

Tozer’s offers escorted wildflower tours, in a beat up old mini bus so that scratches from plants and trees don’t matter. With just six people and led by botanist Jenny, we saw lots of other orchids and wildflowers. Here’s Jenny showing us the Scarlet Banksia that honey possums love to feed on. We’re still searching for a honey possum!

And finally, a few more pics of wildflowers at Tozer’s.

Highly recommended and well worth a visit if you are ever in this part of the world.