Northern Suburbs Branch, 15 November 2023

When Stig Dalstrom, who goes by the pseudonym of The Wild Orchid Man, and film-maker Darryl Saffer came to Western Australia in 2019 to search for the rare southern Queen of Sheba Orchid (Theylmitra variegata), their mission failed. On their second attempt two years later, they hooked up with Dr Daniela Scaccabarozzi, a biologist specialising in pollination and ecology with a special focus on Orchids. Their goal was fulfilled this time, resulting in a 58-minute film shot exclusively in the Southwest of Western Australia, from Margaret River to Tozer’s Bush Camp at Bremer Bay. The film has since won numerous international awards.

I suspect the film won some of these awards, not only because of the Queen of Sheba Orchid, which only features for a few minutes but because of the many other Western Australian Orchids and some of our unique fauna, such as the Short-necked Tortoise, which is highlighted in the film. We were fortunate to have Daniela introduce the film and answer questions.

Daniela explained while there are three recognised species of the Orchid, the southern, the northern (T. pulcherrima) and the eastern or Wheatbelt (T. speciosa), even within a patch of the same species, there can be obvious variations in the yellow edging and dark spots. During the film, Daniela pointed out to Stig the similarity between the Tinsel Lily (Calectasia cyanea) and the Queen of Sheba Orchid and how this was the key to the pollination of the Orchid. This is a case of Dobsonian mimicry, with the Tinsel Lily being the model and the Orchid the mimic.

However, in response to a question on what the pollinator is, Daniela responded that she has been working with Naturalists’ Club Member Terry Houston to identify the pollinator. Still, we will have to wait for the answer, which will be published in a paper soon.

Don Poynton