Greetings fellow Foxies,
I was surprised recently to see orchids in bare and dry bark covered soil under wandoos and powderbarks in Dryandra Woodland Candy Block. Small and relatively inconspicuous Wandoo Beard Orchids and Frog Greenhood Orchids are tough customers that are adapted to drier environments. The Wandoo Beard Orchid (Calochilus stramenicola) has reduced petals and sepals that only partially open and a dense bearded labellum. Calochilus means"sweet lips".They may only open for a day or two while emitting a pheromone to attract large male Scoliid wasps. My colleague Lyn Alcock caught the image of a desperate male wasp attempting to enter a partially opened flower. If the wasp didn’t return the next day, the flower may have pollinated itself and closed.
Not fair! As a fellow male I express solidarity with the poor fellow.
I was surprised recently to see orchids in bare and dry bark covered soil under wandoos and powderbarks in Dryandra Woodland Candy Block. Small and relatively inconspicuous Wandoo Beard Orchids and Frog Greenhood Orchids are tough customers that are adapted to drier environments. The Wandoo Beard Orchid (Calochilus stramenicola) has reduced petals and sepals that only partially open and a dense bearded labellum. Calochilus means"sweet lips".They may only open for a day or two while emitting a pheromone to attract large male Scoliid wasps. My colleague Lyn Alcock caught the image of a desperate male wasp attempting to enter a partially opened flower. If the wasp didn’t return the next day, the flower may have pollinated itself and closed.
Not fair! As a fellow male I express solidarity with the poor fellow.
 does the interior resemble a female wasp? |  male wasp desperately attempting to mate |
With these were several tiny but very healthy Frog Greenhood/ Pterostylis sargentii orchids flowering in Foxes lair in August!) and a single blue sun orchid about to open. The Scented Sun Orchid/Thelymitra macrophylla is relatively common in Foxes Lair in mid- late October including some tough places like two that flower in a marri log on the Banksia Walk.
 Frog Greenhood Orchid at Candy Block |  Scented Sun Orchid |
South African Orchids are also occasionally found in tough places like that about this time.