The return of the Cobra Greenhood

Diplodium grandiflorum, the "Cobra Greenhood" 

is a striking flower 

(pun fully intended, no apologies given).

Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)
showing flared edges of the hood
which earn it the common name.

These lovely plants have just started to flower in a moist Melaleuca thicket below Robertson. This is a regular location for these plants, but I check this site regularly, and they were not in flower last time I visited there, last week.

A young flower in its "Rudolf Nureyev" stage
Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

It is not the largest Greenhood I know of, despite its specific name "grandiflorum". Pterostylis baptistii would win that contest. 

But this flower presents beautifully, on a vertical stem of mid-height (today's stems were not particularly tall, about 15 cm), with the sinus open, the labellum visible from the side, and the flared edges of the "hood" (technically the petals - but in effect the edges of the galea or "hood"). Then there are the two erect points of the lateral sepals which stand proud above the flower.

Rear of the flower
Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

Points of the flower
Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

Side view of the hood,
the labellum in its "set" position
and the open "sinus" with flattened platform
Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

This is one of my favourite Greenhoods.
Also, as it is the first of this season, 

to me it is a harbinger of the winter-flowering Orchids
which I expect to see this coming season.
OK it is May, but the winter chills have arrived
and so have the first of these Orchids.

Rosettes of numerous non-flowering plants
Cobra Greenhood (Diplodium grandiflorum)

 These rosettes are really numerous in this area, so they are responding beautifully to the good season we have had, and so I look forward to even more flowers next year.