My wife and I started our own ‘slow travel’ mission. For the past four months, we have been checking out the natural world in and around Sydney – starting in our own backyard. We were amazed – thrilled, even – at what we found. In the large tracts of mangrove forest and bushland, we couldn’t see any hint of suburbia. Instead, we encountered many different species of plants and wildflowers.

This photograph was taken during the rainy season along the Nabaoy River, just a stone’s throw by boat from Boracay island in the Philippines. The flower, brought to life along with others of virtually every colour by the seasonal deluges, belongs to the terrestrial family of orchids, one of the many pretty flora planted along the banks of the Nabaoy.