Australia So Much to See
A small Spider Orchid with yellow petals, the upper ones striped with red. Red labellum with raspberry like tip. The arms pointed outwards above is opening and later had arms held out like above right. Leaf at right
A very small cream or white orchid of around one centimetre across (above), with maroon speckled rear of petals. White labellum. Leaf at right
Caladenia x erminea, Dusky Fairy Orchid, is a named hybrid between Caladenia marginata and Caladenia flava (at right). This
particular group were marked like paler Caladenia flava, but with the shape and size of Caladenia marginata. The rear of the petals are
speckled like Caladenia marginata, a little paler in shade. Growing on the margins of a winter wet area, following burn. Like
Caladenia marginata, they are respondent to fire.
Caladenia mesocera, Narrow-lipped Dragon Orchid
A small sized green spider orchid with maroon stripes down the centre of
the petals. A green downward curving labellum with maroon hairs mainly along the labellum edges with less
colour on the hairy labellum than Caladenia barbarossa. This is made to look like a female thynnid wasp, complete with a fake
black "head". There is a gland at the base of this "head" which may emit pheromones to further mimic a willing female wasp;
this is likely but not yet proven. A distinguishing feature from Caladenia barbarossa is a pair of curved horn-like protrusions
from the labellum. The name mesocera means middle horn, referring to this feature. Leaf is wide, slightly hairy, and tends
to lie low to the ground rather than upright.
August