Love me, love me not.

What do this writer and orchids have in common?

We’re both wildly complex, captivatingly beautiful, wickedly intelligent and admired by many. Only one is delusional – I’ll let you guess which.

With their intricate structures, vibrant colours and unique behaviour, orchids have fascinated botanists, horticulturists and enthusiasts for centuries. National Geographic explains, “Orchids are dizzying in their diversity. Over the past 80 million years, some 25,000 wild species have taken root on six continents, in nearly every kind of habitat. Representing a full [quarter] of the world's flowering plants, there are four times as many orchid species as mammals and twice as many as birds.”

But how do orchids have everyone so entangled in their allure? For some, it’s the sheer beauty of their blooms, which can mimic everything from dancing ladies to mythical creatures and are seen to symbolise fertility, wealth and power. For others, it’s the satisfaction of coaxing this rare species into flowering. One thing we know is that they have Gippslandians caught in their spell.

“...Representing a full [quarter] of the world's flowering plants, there are four times as many orchid species as mammals and twice as many as birds.”

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You can view more of Ponche Hawke’s incredible photography at ponchhawkes.com.au.

If you are a green thumb keen to explore the world of orchids, you can get in touch with the South Gippsland Orchid Society.

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Gippslandia - Issue No. 32

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