r/NativeOrchidsAus

Why does this orchid look like a duck in flight? It's a spectacular example of sexual mimicry!

This orchid, as well as many related ones, look similar to Thynnid Flower Wasps (at least to other wasps) and release pheromones to attract male wasps looking for a partner.

Once the unsuspecting male lands in the flower "cup", the anther (head of the duck) snaps shut and glues a bundle of pollen, called pollinia, onto the back of the male. The male will then, in his ignorance, repeat this process with nearby orchids, pollinating them.

A large and breathtaking local population of a native terrestrial orchids, yesterday. A colony containing many hundreds of flowering plants concentrated into a relatively small patch of sandstone heathland immediately south of Wongarra Hill on the Mirrorball track. Likely not rare, but beautiful. Likely identification is..

Spotted Sun-orchid - Thelymitra ixioides Sw. (Orchidaceae)

Happily sharing a hanging basket with a Bulbo. rothschildianum