A week ago I went seeking Australian Native Orchids to photograph for the Steemit Photo Challenge. I do this on my bicycle (well mostly I do - sometimes I walk). Well I did not find any orchids though I did find some other amazing Spring flowers.

I use this as therapy to deal with the bouts of depression that I suffer. The drivers of that are another story. The exercise helps. The beauty of nature helps. The consistency and patterns of nature help. The joy people get from the photographs helps - a lot. 30 to 40 people get joy every time I post a picture.

I went out again on my bicycle riding a road through the nearby National Park that I had ridden in my quest the day before. A quick reminder for spotting Australian Native Orchids.

1. leaf shape is distinctive - normally only one or two and always on the ground. 2. flowers emerge from a long stem 3. a flash of colour.

I spotted items 1 and 2 not one metre off the road hard up against the rocks the road was carved through. I turned around to check it out and this is what I saw - two leaves (shaped like eucalyptus leaves) on the ground and a long stem:

It was a bad news story - the flowers had come and gone - typically they flower only 2 or 3 days. AND I had cycled past that spot twice in the last 3 or 4 days. Well that set my resolve to go looking and I went walking that afternoon in the National Park (it is no more than 400 metres from my front door).

I found plenty of orchid sites - at the foot of trees, up against the rocks - always the same - one or two leaves on the floor. No flower stems forming yet but I know where to seek them out for next time. Here are a few samples - some of the colours are wonderful.

A little disappointing but not really - always a treat to enjoy our National Parks - and great to know that orchid spotting season is on for young and old.

And each time I ride through the National Park I am on the lookout. We are blessed with good road surfaces so I can focus on the bush without worrying about the road. Next day I was blessed by item 3 on the spotters list - a flash of colour (a bluey purple flash) sitting on top of a long stem. The first orchid possibly - needs verification by studying he structure of the flowering parts. An orchid flower has 6 floral parts made up of petals, sepals and a labellum. The next photo shows the flower in all its glory - the first Sun Orchid (Thelymitra Nuda) of the season.

Today I went looking again and found the same orchid - sadly it was a cloudy and cool day and the flowers were not open. [One can cheat by blowing on the flower - sometimes it will open]. As there are many buds, I am sure I will enjoy this one for a few days yet.

A flash of colour and a long stem. This one has two leaves coming from the ground - a bit more shaped like a reed leaf than a eucalyptus leaf

And another bout of depression is kept at bay by getting joy from the outdoors and the exercise and the beauty of nature