Better weather, better photos of Bird Orchids

Following on from yesterday's post on the Bird Orchids on the Budderoo Plateau, the weather was better today (at least not raining), and the flowers were one day more mature, and hence more open.

We found this particularly fine plant today,

just begging to be photographed.

Illawarra Bird Orchid - Simpliglottis chlorantha

While waiting to take these photos, I noticed that the labellum 

is very subject to movement on the wind.

These plants have a hinge in the labellum stalk.

The movement of the labellum was quite noticeable.

Here is a close-up shot of the osmophores (scent glands)

on the labellum of one of the flowers.

Compare the real thing 

with the botanical illustration below, (from PlantNET)

Labellum detail of the Illawarra Bird Orchid ("osmophores" or scent glands)

Unless you actually see these strange scent glands, 

it is hard to imagine that they are real. 

They look like green and red dobs of jelly, 

but are more solid than they look.

Illawarra Bird Orchid - Botanical illustration from PlantNET

As a fringe benefit, I realised that there was tiny Flower Spider 

hiding up inside the column of one of these Bird Orchid flowers.

The yellow pollinia sacs are the point where

the Orchid needs a pollinator to come to. 

And that's where the Spider is waiting!

Flower Spider waiting besides the yellow pollinia of the Bird Orchid

Cunning little things, aren't they?
It was tiny - not much bigger than a match-head.