Most people walk straight past native orchids. They’re small, easy to miss, and don’t announce themselves. Jim Cootes has spent years finding them anyway.
He’s speaking at the Parramatta Hills Group of the Australian Plants Society on Saturday, 23 May — 2pm, Gumnut Hall, Gumnut Place, Cherrybrook — on native orchids of the Macarthur LGA.
Cootes knows this subject from multiple angles. He’s an internationally recognised expert on Philippine orchids, with two books published on that alone. Back home, he roams the local bush with the Macarthur Australasian Native Orchid Society (ANOS), photographing what he finds and writing it up for their Facebook page. He’s found some rare ones along the way, and he’ll talk about those too, along with the conservation work aimed at ensuring they’re still there for the next person who bothers to look.
If you’ve never been to one of these afternoons, there’s tea, there are plants for sale, and nobody expects you to already know things. Visitors are welcome.
Get in touch with Jennifer Farrer on 0407 456 577 or [email protected] if you want more details before turning up.
