Orchids continue (and a new one)

Last month I posted about the initial rush of orchids on our block.  That post concluded with commentary about the Microtis (aka Onion orchids) and Thelymitra (aka Sun orchids).  Since they seem to be the genera providing excitement at the moment, I expect most of this post to be devoted to them.

However I will begin by noting that all the not-caladenias (blue, pink and white) seem to have gone over, as have the Glossodia.  The Diuris pardina and particularly D sulphurea are popping up all over the place.

As I foreshadowed last month it has proved extremely difficult to get a good enough look at the Microtis to be able to hazard a guess at the species.  Eventually, after a fair bit of bad language and many discarded images I came up with ...

... from which I was able to zoom in well enough to get

The crinkled edges to the labellum and the circular patch near its tip led me to take a punt on M unifolia the Common Onion Orchid.

At another spot I managed to get an image of a Microtis sp emerging from its leaf.  I think this image is correctly oriented!

The sun orchids made an early run with this pink job almost coming out (and almost being in focus)!

Unfortunately by the time I had looked at the image on my computer, and realised it was not as sharp as required, the little blighter had closed up for the night.  That was a week ago and there has not been enough warmth to persuade it to re-emerge since.  However the straight stem persuades me it is a pink form of a (mainly) blue orchid.

However on 8 November a small blue one did emerge and submitted itself to photography at about 10:45am!!

Despite its resemblance to Thelymitra pauciflora my alert friend suggested I go back to check the bases of the leaves since she thought it was T peniculata.  Indeed so it turns out to be: the base of the leaves is red.  Unfortunately that was about all there was to see since by the time we got back (about 1415) the flower had 'gone over'.  But still it was the 14th known orchid species on our block which is pretty good.

I have been studiyng  one patch for about three weeks and, despite the warm weather over the past week,  they are still just buds.  Much bad language has been used.

By way of contrast a Thelymitra pauciflora  - living under a Kunzea ericoides bush has popped open without the bud seeming to swell at all.  (I checked the bases of the leaves and they were green all the way down.)