We started at Honans Forest Reserve north of Mount Gambier and at our very first stop we found Corunastylis ciliata , but to our disappointment the flowers were spent. Fortunately the mood changed to excitement when large numbers of an undescribed greenhood, Speculantha species were found in flower on the edge of a firebreak growing with the fringed hare orchid Leporella fimbriata mostly in bud. The photographers were especially busy.

At this point we split up to search different tracks and the most successful group soon found more fringed midge orchid Corunastylis ciliata , this time in flower and the anticipation mounted when the slender midge orchid C. despectans was found in seed - we had two midges tracked down in an hour! We expected to find the slender midge in flower next, but instead it was the autumn bunny orchid, fifty of them! Very appropriate as, after all, it was Easter. The Eriochilus cucullatus here at Honans have a smooth leaf and are probably a different sub-species to our hairy-leafed Adelaide Hills form. Of course there were fringed hare orchids here too and soon a real hare was spotted. This was fun especially as Susan had a chocolate Easter bilby in the car. In addition kangaroos and emus were seen.

After lunch we found more C. ciliata, including a large red flowered specimen and a probable C. despectans x C. ciliatum , sadly past its best. One really keen member went off gathering dead remains of last spring's orchids and showed us bearded orchids, little duck orchids and a seed pod of Caladenia mentiens. Sadly no-one was very thrilled by all these dead remains. In fact we felt it was time to move to another forest reserve north of Glencoe.

'The Marshes' was a real disappointment, for despite several members' stories of the wonderful orchids they had seen there last year, including midge orchids, all we found were pods of Dipodium, Gastrodia and about eight different sun orchids turned black by the sun. Then at last a tiny splash of pink, a couple of Spiranthes in late flower.

Our camp that night was at the back of ‘The Marshes.' The only midges here were of a different kind --- the flying, biting sort and several of us suffered the next day from reactions to their stings. We did enjoy the full moon and next morning we had another surprise - iced up window screens. Was summer really over!

Day two saw us dashing here and there. Lake Edward and Lake Leake , Lake Edward Forest Reserve, Whennan's Forest and back to Honans - embarrassingly frenetic behaviour really. The only joy came with the discovery of a patch of Cryptostylis orchids to 130 cm tall. A count on one spike showed in excess of twenty flowers. Surely this height, the number of flowers and a triple branched spike must have been some sort of Cryptostylis record!

The only other new find was a Microtis parviflora in a dry waterhole, and it was still in flower.

Camp that night was at Penola CP, crackling dry underfoot and a very noisy place thanks to possums. Soon after dawn on Easter Sunday and after an Easter egg hunt for one, a walk to the dry lake turned up the remains of Dipodium campanulatum and Thelymitra lucida plus one pristine white rabbit orchid. Heading toward home and a stop at Bangham CP we at last found more midge orchids, Corunastylis fuscoviride and C. aff. rufa ‘ Western Victoria ' and met up with a bevy of ornithologists. We would have got on well together if we had found any bird orchids!

Our numbers dropped to seven as we headed to Mount Monster through the back way; an hours drive through the ruined remains of once orchid rich red gum, blue gum, peppermint gum, manna gum and bulloke woodland and not an orchid left. Pensively we wondered how many endemic orchids from here had become extinct and never been collected; perhaps a dozen species. Yes the woodland types mentioned above once had one of the richest terrestrial orchid floras in the world, and now the livestock were being hand fed due to lack of pasture!

Mount Monster did have a few more midge orchids and Eriochilu scucullatus too but it was crunchy underfoot and the orchids were infested with thrip.

Should we have been disappointed at our catch of four or five Corunastylis ? You bet. We had hoped to see something new to SA. Perhaps our next midge orchid trip should be interstate as our most successful midge orchid trip ever was to Victoria about 5 years ago.

Thanks to all who attended and helped to make a trip in March, traditionally the worst month for orchids in SA , in drought conditions , such fun; after all, we did see eleven different orchids in flower!