You’re trekking through the knee-deep muck of Bayou Nwa, dodging a three-star alligator that definitely wants to eat your horse, all because some guy in a fancy greenhouse wants a bouquet. It’s the "Duchesses and Other Animals" mission. Everyone who’s tried to 100% Red Dead Redemption 2 knows the pain of hunting the lady of the night orchid locations rdr2 players obsess over.
But here’s the thing. Most people look in the right place and still find absolutely nothing.
The game is actually smarter—and meaner—than you think. If you’re pulling your hair out because a tree that should have an orchid only has bark, you aren’t crazy. Rockstar built a cap into the spawning system. If you haven't officially started the first stage of Algernon Wasp’s quest, or if you’re one orchid away from the goal for a future stage, the game literally stops them from appearing. It’s annoying. I know.
The Bayou Nwa Hotspots
Honestly, don’t bother looking anywhere else. These flowers are swamp dwellers. They specifically cling to the bark of trees rather than growing in the dirt, which makes them a nightmare to spot if you aren't using Eagle Eye constantly.
Most of the lady of the night orchid locations rdr2 offers are clustered in the western and southern parts of Bayou Nwa. If you draw a line from the "U" in Bayou down toward Caliga Hall, you’re in the strike zone.
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Where to actually look
- The Kamassa River Bend: Follow the riverbanks just north of Caliga Hall. There are about four or five trees right along the water’s edge.
- The Strange Man’s Cabin: Bayall Edge is the "official" name on the map. It’s that creepy little shack in the swamp. Check the trees directly surrounding the water there. You can usually snag three in a five-minute loop around the cabin.
- The Railroad Tracks: North of Saint Denis, where the elevated tracks cut through the mud, check the trees flanking the path.
Keep an eye out for a white, heart-shaped flower. It’s small. It’s delicate. And it’s usually hanging just above Arthur’s head level on the trunk.
Why You Can't Find All 15
This is the big one. Algernon Wasp wants 15 of these for Part 1 of his request. If you are a completionist and try to gather them all in Chapter 2 before ever meeting him in Saint Denis, you will likely hit a wall at 14.
The game does this on purpose.
It wants you to have the quest active to finish the collection. This "n-1" mechanic (where n is the required amount) applies to almost every orchid in the game. If you're stuck at 14, just go talk to Algernon in his shop. Once the quest log officially says "Lady of the Night Orchids: 14/15," the final ones will magically reappear in the world.
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Pro Tips for the Orchid Hunter
Don't do this during a thunderstorm. The lighting in this game is gorgeous, but a swamp at midnight in the rain is a terrible place to find a tiny white flower.
- Use Eagle Eye. Obviously. But specifically look for the blue "scent" particles rising from the tree trunks.
- Mark your map. Once you pick one, it won't respawn for a few in-game days. If you need more later for a different challenge (like Herbalist 9), you'll want to remember where that specific tree was.
- The Vanilla Flower Trap. Sometimes you’ll see a prompt for a "Vanilla Flower" on a tree. This is basically the "common" version of the orchid. If you see one, the orchid isn't there. Pick it anyway to clear the spot and come back in 48-72 in-game hours.
The Caliga Hall Perimeter
A lot of players miss the orchids tucked away near the fence lines of Caliga Hall. If you stay on the north side of the estate, right where the manicured grass meets the swampy mud, there are several reliable spawns.
Just watch out for the guards. They don't take kindly to Arthur wandering around the property, even if he's just "botanizing."
Wait until you have the plumes first.
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Since Part 1 also requires 5 Little Egret Plumes, 5 Reddish Egret Plumes, and 5 Snowy Egret Plumes, do the bird hunting before the flower picking. Birds are much harder to find because they fly away. The orchids stay put. If you find an orchid while hunting birds, great. But don't make a dedicated orchid run until you've cleared the sky of those egrets.
What to Do Next
Now that you know the spawn cap exists, don't waste three hours resetting your game or clearing your cache. If the orchids aren't there, you've likely hit the limit for your current quest progress.
Go to Saint Denis, find Algernon Wasp’s greenhouse (it’s in the north part of town, behind a gate), and trigger the "Duchesses and Other Animals" mission. Once you have the physical list in your satchel, head back to the Bayou. Those final flowers will be right where the guides say they should be.
If you're still coming up short, try sleeping at a camp outside of the Lemoyne region for two full days. This forces a world refresh that usually fixes any stubborn spawn nodes.