Papua New Guinea: Orchids of the Western Highlands

The misty cloud forests of 6-9000 feet are perfect for some of the world’s highest concentration of orchids growing wild. While some grow from the ground, many are attaching themselves to tree trunks. So are tiny and miniature, while other are large and spectacular. Some red, some yellow, some blue, some white, some purple – but you can always recognize an orchid by its flower structure – 6 petals total, three similar that form a crown on top, one large one forming a lip, and two on each side of the lip. There are over 3000 species from 134 genera in Papua New Guinea, and several new ones are discovered each year!