RDR2 exotics: what to collect for Algernon Wasp and how much he pays

Algernon Wasp is a milliner from Saint Denis. He asks Arthur for rare plumes, alligator eggs and orchids.

You meet him in Chapter 4, in the story mission "The Gilded Cage". At the mayor’s ball Algernon chokes on a nut. You don’t have to save him: the "Duchesses and other Animals" quest opens either way. The order of story missions is in the RDR2 missions section.

After the mission Algernon waits in the greenhouse (Growing House) in the north of Saint Denis, Bayou Nwa, Lemoyne. Find it on the RDR2 map.

The current list is always in your satchel: Satchel → Documents → Notes, under "Exotic Collector’s List". Algernon only gives you the next request once you bring the previous one. After the fifth there is one more, final, sixth meeting.

The quest takes 182 items in total:

• 65 plumes: 15 egret plumes (5 each of three species), 20 heron plumes and 30 spoonbill plumes;
• 25 alligator eggs;
• 92 orchids of 13 species.

Plumes and eggs can be collected in advance, but Algernon only pays for a request once it’s handed in. Be careful with orchids: according to Red Dead Wiki, if you pick them before the species appears on the list, after a certain number (the amount in the request minus one) the remaining plants of that species may disappear. They respawn once the request is issued, so you will still have to pick the last orchid of each species from the list.

Item names are in English, as in the game. Some guides write Moccasin Orchid instead of Moccasin Flower Orchid, Spider’s Orchid instead of Spider Orchid and Sparrow Egg Orchid instead of Sparrow’s Egg Orchid — they are the same plants.

GTABase, RDR2.org and Gamepressure list the payout for the first request as $110, Red Dead Wiki as $100. All other amounts match across sources.

Bird plumes

Egrets, herons and spoonbills only appear during the day. The birds are skittish and stay in flocks, so it’s best to mark several at once with Dead Eye and fire a volley. Gamepressure considers the 20 heron plumes the hardest bird task.

The biggest number is 30 spoonbill plumes. According to PowerPyx, at noon you can get about 5 birds per visit, so plan on several trips. RDR2.org suggests looking for spoonbills at noon near the letter "O" in the word Lemoyne on the map, next to the railroad.

RDR2.org suggests looking for egrets in the morning in western Bayou Nwa. There’s no point taking more than 5 plumes of each species: only Algernon buys them.

If the birds run out, ride further away (to Rhodes, for example) or sleep at camp and come back — the flocks respawn.

Alligator eggs

A nest holds 3–5 eggs, so 25 take about 6–7 nests. A large alligator often stays near the nests, so approach carefully. Difficulty estimates vary: PowerPyx and Gamepressure warn about alligators, while RDR2.org calls the eggs a very easy item.

Orchids

• Lady of the Night Orchid (15 needed), according to RDR2.org, only grows in certain areas of Bayou Nwa near Caliga Hall.
• Night Scented, Rat Tail and Sparrow’s Egg have small petals and are hard to spot. Turn on Eagle Eye: you’ll see blue or yellow dust around the plants. Sparrow’s Egg is an orchid, not a bird’s egg — Gamepressure makes a point of warning about this.
• Dragon’s Mouth Orchid is the only orchid far from Lemoyne: it grows in Grizzlies East, Ambarino.

• Requests 1, 3 and 4 are collected almost entirely in the Lemoyne swamps: Bayou Nwa, Bluewater Marsh and the areas around Shady Belle, Caliga Hall and Braithwaite Manor. This is close to the greenhouse in Saint Denis.
• Request 2 takes you north and west: herons are in Bayou Nwa and Bluewater Marsh, Lady Slipper in Big Valley and Tall Trees, Moccasin in Roanoke Ridge near Butcher Creek.
• Request 5 is the longest trip: Clamshell and Queen’s grow near Saint Denis and Lagras, Sparrow’s Egg in Roanoke Ridge, and Dragon’s Mouth all the way up in Grizzlies East.

Plan the bird items for daytime — there are no birds at night. Orchids, according to PowerPyx, stay in their spots permanently, so you can pick them up along the way.

For the fifth request and the final meeting Algernon gives you $200, the Exotic Hat and Algernon’s Revolver. The game’s other revolvers and pistols are in the RDR2 weapons section.

In total the whole quest pays $760 (or $750 if you take the Wiki’s first payout). Gamepressure mentions $1,000 in its intro, but its own per-request breakdown adds up to $760. Other ways to earn are in the RDR2 money guide.

According to Red Dead Wiki, after the quest a Rare Orchids Order appears on the wall of any post office — with it you can sell orchids by mail. Take it right away, before saving or reloading, or it may disappear.

For 100% completion you need to finish all 5 requests from Algernon Wasp. The quest only starts in Chapter 4, so take it on right after "The Gilded Cage".

The full list of requirements is on the how to get 100% in RDR2 page. Other collections are in the RDR2 collectibles section: cigarette cards, legendary fish, dreamcatchers. Birds and alligators are easy to track down with the RDR2 animals section.