The Queen of Sheba - Thelymitra variegata - is a very flashy and quite magnificent West Australian Native Orchid. It is one of the sun orchids and only opens when the sun shines.
The West Australian bush has many beautiful treasures which need to be looked after for generations to come, we need to take care when walking in the bush, and when photographing the wildflowers and orchids, you need to look very carefully to find them, then watch where you're putting your feet, especially if you kneel down on the ground, or use a tripod.
The place where I found this Queen has more people trampling around every year and therefore after seeing numerous beautiful plants over the past few years this year there are very few. So now I have other places where I've found some plants and I keep those confidential, not because I want to keep a secret but because people tell people and very soon the fragile plants are trampled or touched before they have a chance to show off their beauty and then be pollinated for next years plants to flower.
Native orchids are very particular where they grow and how they grow, I have limited knowledge but have some great books which I use to learn more about this elusive plant family.
I want to continue finding and photographing these beautiful treasures so I choose to be as careful as possible where I go and how I get my photos.
Enjoy this little piece of natures gifts that are available to all who seek out the beauty of the bush. Go for a walk in your local area and see what you can find, this means look at the ground and under the bushes, you may discover a treasure and get as excited as I did when I found my very first Queen of Sheba a few years ago.
Taken with my Olympus TG5
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