JULY 2020 MID-MONTHLY BULLETIN Issue 823.5 Patron The Mayor of Willoughby Published by The North Shore Orchid Society Inc. ABN 23 037 753 968 Cr. Gail Giles-Gidney Correspondence & membership enquiries to: The Hon. Secretary, P.O. Box 212, Forestville, NSW 2087, Australia. [email protected] President Website https://northshoreorchidsociety.org/ Gloria Cushway (02) 9971 0296 This is our second mid-monthly bulletin which we will be sending out until [email protected] our monthly meetings are allowed to resume. Photos are from the members so, if you have anything in flower please send your photos to Hon. Secretary me at [email protected] Thanks Lesley Clover Bradley (02) 9489 3861 [email protected] Dear Members we are pleased to inform you that our th Winter Show at Gordon on 8 of July is still on, as Covid Show Marshal 19 cases in New South Wales remain low with very few Garrie Bromley community transmitted cases being reported. For our (02) 9452 3202 helpers at the show we will have masks, hand sanitizer, [email protected] gloves and disinfection wipes. This show is the first of four society shows which are on this month. Hope to see you and your plants there. NSOS Committee Congratulations to Irene & Ian Chalmers who were awarded AM/AOC/OSNSW for Den. Sally Koh Siew Aye ‘Port Hacking’ If you have a plant which you think is worthy of an award please contact Garrie Bromley as awards are still being granted. These are a selection of orchids that members would have benched this month, thank you to the members for sending them to me. Paph . Wo nderful Wo rld R Nurthen Cym. Unknown G Serhan Epi. porpax Cary Polis Vanda tricolor C Polis Masd. Prince Charming ‘11’ C Rethers Liparis spectabilis Cary Polis Sgr. Yokosuka Story Dora Law Den. chrysopterum B & J Miles Cym. Fairy Rough Dora Law C. walkeriana Jody Cutajar C. walkeriana Jody Cutajar C. walkeriana Jody Cutajar Laelia anceps ‘Pierce’ This is a beautiful example of ‘line breeding’ in Laelia anceps. With help from Garrie Bromley the history is as follows; In the mid 1990’s P & R Orchids of Port Macquarie purchased a flask from Santa Barbara Orchid Estate in California USA, which was a crossing of Laelia anceps ‘Mendenhall’ and a Guerrero form. Garrie purchased one of these seedlings and proceeded to grow it on and while on a AOC judging conference in Port Macquarie he saw one of the seedlings grown on from that flask at Port Macquarie Orchids and persuaded them to bring it along to the conference and it was judged and received an AM and 83.4 points and since then another ‘Gloriosa Bathurst’ received a high HCC 78.5 for 1 spike with 4 flowers belonging to John Allen, another grower of fine orchids. I had previously seen Laelia anceps ‘Pierce’ and admired it, and also seen it at a Manly Warringah Orchid Society Auction which went for a fine price. I also knew that Garrie had sold a piece to Wayne Turville of Australian Orchid Nursery and he had cloned it. In 2016 Lorraine and I went on a ‘Road Trip’ via outback NSW, SA and Vic. While we were staying for a few days on the Mornington Peninsular in Victoria, to sample the great wines and cheeses from the region, we called in on Wayne at his nursery at Tyabb We enjoyed a morning talking orchids and looking through the tunnel houses. While having coffee I asked if he had any advanced mericlones of ‘Pierce’ he said no but instead offered a piece of the original for free but we said we would like to pay which we did, but I’m sure not for it’s true worth. Anyway 4 years later and its in 3 pieces and powering on. Flowers come out large and flat for this species and have that Guerrero feathering of the petals and a dark wide labellum. I’m growing in full sun and using Orchid Care Services Miscellaneous Mix, with 15% styrene beads mixed in and the top 1cm small bark. They are grown in Port Pots 200mm and 300mm. The challenge for me is to grow these each into a specimen size with many spikes and corresponding amount of flowers. If I can accomplish this, it will be a sight to behold. Bill Dobson A bit more humour for Mature people, we still need a good laugh Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 is new midnight. To me, “drink responsibly” means don’t spill it. I hate when a couple argues in public, and I missed the beginning and don’t know whose side I’m on. When I say, “The other day,” I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago. I remember being able to get up without making sound effects. I had my patience tested. I’m negative. If you’re sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say “Did you bring the money?” The older I get, the earlier it gets late. A little bit of rainforest in our back yard. While looking after the grandchildren a week ago I decided to take them for a walk in a new reserve that I read about on our council website. This park is called Allenby Reserve and it is almost behind Warringah Mall Shopping Centre at Brookvale. This reserve has a creek running through it, a lovely waterfall and lots of paths winding up and down and around, with ferns growing everywhere. The paths are well defined and much to our joy and surprise we found some orchids in flower beside the path. While we quite expected to find some Pterostylis a group of Corybas barbarae was an unexpected surprise. Corybas barbarae commonly known as fairy lanterns, is a species of terrestrial, widespread and common, growing in protected areas in forest and woodlands from the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland to northern suburbs of Sydney in NSW. Corybas barbarae is a terrestrial, perennial, and deciduous, it is small in size only growing to 3cm in size. They were first formally described by David Jones in 1988 and named after his wife Barbara. This is a delightful area to go for a walk which is not too far away. .