Thursday, July 19, 2012 The Early Orchids are Out These little
chaps are just beginning to flower in the Goomburra National
Park. There are several different local species of greenhood.
This one can be identified by the rather short “horns”,
(actually the tips of two of its sepals). “Curta” means short.
However, the best identifying characteristic is the labellum,
which has a sideways twist. The labellum is a little petal,
different from the other green ones, which pokes out of the
flower’s “mouth” like a tongue. You may notice, as you examine a
flower closely, that the labellum suddenly flicks back inside.
What it’s doing is showing you its quick reflexes. If there had
been a potential pollinator on that labellum, the orchid would
have flicked its little visitor back against its style. After
holding it prisoner for 30-90 minutes, the labellum would have
relaxed as it began to reset. The little gnat would then
struggle up towards the light coming in the orchid’s translucent
hood. As it did this, using the tin