We have been watching a patch of orchid leaves for years. Each year they grow rich and green and full of promise, then curl up without flowering. We thought they looked like Bird Orchid leaves, as they showed up in that ‘bow-tie’ formation in a reasonable sized colony.
This year, I am delighted to say, they flowered. Yay! Such a long wait! It turns out they are Autumn Wasp Orchids, which are in the same Genus as Bird Orchids but considered to be distinct from them.
According to Gary Backhouse ‘Bush Gems’ it is typical for large colonies of leaves to develop, with only a few plants flowering, so I guess we could have missed the odd bloom in previous years. This is exacerbated by the long potential flowering window of opportunity – from February to September. Backhouse also mentions that the most prolific flowering occurs after bushfire.
We’ve now found four patches of these orchids, each flowering at a different rate.
Fifteen Acres 
Dear Cheryl Happy Easter! I know it is early (we used not to say this till Easter Sunday but…)
Dont know if you subscribe to this – but I seem to remember you and I we looked at tiny chinoglottis orchids – was it at that Belgrave south place? Baluk Willam? – they are so strange!!
Hope you are going OK with the social distancing – – so good your work can continue!!! and you own your home!!! I am enjoying walking in Hinkler now and again but am miserable bc at parks they’ve banned us from working there, even in the gardens and on our own – I miss it so much and sad to know the gardens which are now in such excellent condition will be allowed to get weed infested again!!!
Al the best let me know how your dad is going – Freya
Hi Freya, I think you have the wrong person. I am Lisa and I am not in your locality. Glad you liked the post though. 🙂
Wonderful Lisa,
Our Gurdies Conservation Reserve has them flowering too. So exciting as I too have never seen so many at one time. Like you say most leaves
Marg
That’s good, Marg.