Image: Chris Russell and Robert Mitchell
More than half of Victoria’s native orchids are now threatened with extinction, but with the help of citizen scientists, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) is working to identify and preserve these through a combination of world-leading research and hands-on conservation.
Robert Mitchell, a citizen scientist, discovered three new species of sun orchids (Thelymitra) in Victoria, alongside three additional species, newly recorded in the state, during walks in a Frankston green space during COVID-19 lockdowns. Not recognising them, he notified botanists from Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, who using spirit and dried specimens from the State Botanical Collection, were able to ascertain they were new species.
