Wayne Harris Article Series
Introducing the Wayne Harris Article Series. Wayne was an avid orchid-enthusiast, photographer, author of several orchid publications and life-member of the Nambour Orchid Society. After a short illness, Wayne sadly passed away in 2020.
In celebration of his life, we will be sharing a selection of his published articles over the next few months. We hope you enjoy the series.
In the realm of orchids, with some of the most spectacular and showy flowers of the flora of the world, Wayne taught us to look further and discover the beauty and uniqueness of the less spectacular species. Quite often this involved the use of a magnifying glass at our Species group gatherings and our annual Species Shows. Wayne had a depth of knowledge and the willingness to help others to appreciate species orchids. His contribution to several books, in conjunction with others, has left us with a lasting legacy of ready references to assist in identifying and correctly labelling our plants.
There was always much banter at meetings as Wayne corrected all of us on names and pronunciations of some of our species orchids. Mind you we all gave back as good as what we got.
In spite of the many medical and surgical procedures he had to face, towards the end of his days on this earth, he could still recall some memorable experiences and the fact that he had enjoyed a wonderful life with valued family and friends. We miss him.
Wayne’s Photos
Wayne was a true scientist with an enquiring mind, accumulating knowledge throughout his life. He commenced his professional career in Geology, specialising in Paleontology, and then studied Botany, leading to a special interest in Orchidaceae. He travelled extensively throughout Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and SE Asia, photographing thousands of species, often capturing the fine details that distinguish one from another.
He was passionate about Bulbophyllums but also had keen interests in Dendrobiums, Coelogynes and Dendrochilums. Here is a small sample from his collection.
