A RARE and endangered orchid once found in parts of the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston was last week given a helping hand to return, thanks to a team of experts and passionate volunteers. The Frankston spider orchid, Caladenia robinsonii, is regarded as being critically endangered, with 347 plants remaining in Frankston, Rosebud and Rye as a result of habitat destruction.Laboratory-raised plants from the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria nursery have been reintroduced to their natural habitat on the peninsula with the assistance of staff, and volunteers from the La Trobe Botany Society and ANOS Vic.Lead researcher Dr Noushka Reiter, senior research…
Friday, December 27
