Dick Wettenhall’s monumental study of orchids in the Gurdies uncovers a complex web of life.
Photos: Warren Reed, Coast magazine
Photos: Warren Reed, Coast magazine
By Catherine Watson
AT FIRST it was the birds that attracted Dick Wettenhall to The Gurdies reserve, opposite his winery. Over time his gaze shifted to the orchids for which the reserve is known among Australian native orchid lovers.
A former professor of biochemistry at Melbourne University, he became increasingly fascinated by the complex functions, adaptations and associated biodiversification of orchid ecosystems in a single nature reserve.
In 2024, he published The Guide to Orchid Paradise: The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve. At 270 pages, it was a substantial work, but that was just for starters. Dick calls it "a guidebook".
AT FIRST it was the birds that attracted Dick Wettenhall to The Gurdies reserve, opposite his winery. Over time his gaze shifted to the orchids for which the reserve is known among Australian native orchid lovers.
A former professor of biochemistry at Melbourne University, he became increasingly fascinated by the complex functions, adaptations and associated biodiversification of orchid ecosystems in a single nature reserve.
In 2024, he published The Guide to Orchid Paradise: The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve. At 270 pages, it was a substantial work, but that was just for starters. Dick calls it "a guidebook".
| Now he has published his magnum opus, Ecology of Native Orchids and their Pollinators, with over 550 pages and 1200 photographs that describe the ecosystems of over 40 species of orchids within the reserve and their pollinators who must co-exist with friend and foe insects and spiders. His interest encompassed their adaptations to different microenvironments with a diverse range of topographical features, vegetation zones and associated microclimates. It’s a scholarly book with a very human touch, based on extensive field investigations carried out over several seasons. Dick has spent hundreds of hours sitting beside individual clusters of orchids documenting the interactions between orchids, pollinators and other miniature creatures in their habitats. Those walking in the Gurdies have sometimes rushed to aid a prone figure under a tree, only to find the professor lying, macro lens perhaps trained on a flying ant about to land on a Rare Orangetip Fingers Orchid. |  Ecology of Native Orchids and their Pollinators by Dick Wettenhall is on sale at Turn the Page Bookshop in Cowes for $95. It will also be on sale at the Bunurong Environment Centre in Inverloch and available online through Nokomis. |
“That’s why the mad professor lay on the ground for so long,” Dick jokes.
He pays credit to Basil, his endlessly patient rescue dog who kept watch while he did his work.
He pays credit to Basil, his endlessly patient rescue dog who kept watch while he did his work.
There have been tragedies along the way. He watched a favourite patch of endangered Green Striped Leafy Greenhoods for a week, returning each day to see if they had flowered. Turns out he wasn’t the only one watching. He turned up one day just in time to see a family of grasshoppers devouring the last of the flowers.
“The low frequency of pollinator visits necessitated waiting beside the orchids for many hours, often many days. The waiting was frustrating at times, particularly when many days passed by without success and when mosquitos and march flies savaged the investigator who was unable to use mosquito repellent!" |
At other times it was another pesky species, humans, interfering with his beloved orchids. When BMX bike riders built jumps and off-track trails in the Gurdies, they unknowingly did so in rare orchid territory. In response to Dick’s distress call, Parks Victoria arranged for a contractor with a big machine to flatten the freshly made jumps. He did so promptly and thoroughly. Unfortunately the earthworks also buried several patches of rare orchids.
Also included are general chapters on the forest habitats investigated; when and where to find the orchids and their pollinators; cross-pollination of orchids; and environmental threats.
Dick’s labour of love over many years has revealed the complex functions, adaptations and associated biodiversification of ecosystems in a single nature reserve. Ecology of Native Orchids and their Pollinators is a work that seems destined to enter the ranks of the best natural histories.
Also included are general chapters on the forest habitats investigated; when and where to find the orchids and their pollinators; cross-pollination of orchids; and environmental threats.
Dick’s labour of love over many years has revealed the complex functions, adaptations and associated biodiversification of ecosystems in a single nature reserve. Ecology of Native Orchids and their Pollinators is a work that seems destined to enter the ranks of the best natural histories.