Small pink Caladenia orchid variations near the Mongarlowe River, Monga, NSW. Some interesting variations in flower colour and size in roadside plants on the edge of tall forest. Most plants here are probably closer to C. carnea although C. fuscata is more common to the north around the village of Mongarlowe.

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Pink forms of Caladenia alata (fairy fingers) north of Mallacoota, East Gippsland, VIC. All of the plants in this small patch have the same pink flowers - while all of the plants in more open heathland nearby are the more typical white-flowering forms of this delicate orchid. Pink forms with larger flowers may be hybrids.

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Small pink Caladenia orchids near Monga, NSW. The pinker forms here look a lot like C. hillmani - although this is generally a coastal species. This plant was slightly unusual with two buds on the flowering stem (most plants here were single flowers) plus one of the buds had split into two flowers.

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Small pink Caladenia variations near Monga, NSW. Smaller paler forms at this site resemble C. alata but the pinker forms maybe look a bit more like C. hillmani - particularly the occasional plant with much larger petals and sepals? C. hillmani is a coastal species so not exactly sure what is going on here in the mountains at almost 1000m altitude ;)

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Caladenia alata (Fairy Fingers/Fairy Orchid) near Mallacoota, East Gippsland, VIC.

This species is usually fairly common here with a mix of white and pink forms (possibly hybrids) flowering together. This year with minimal spring rainfall there was only small patch of the typical white form still out in a damp, shaded spot on the edge of the forest.

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Early morning wander around heathland on the edge of Croajingolong National Park near Genoa, VIC - spotted sun orchids (Thelymitra ixioides) out in good numbers alongside a few waxlip orchids (Glossodia/Caladenia major) still hanging in there (most have finished flowering).

The spotted sun orchids here are much more freely flowering than other 'shy' species nearby and will open much earlier in the morning before temperatures warm up then stay open well into the afternoon.

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Tiny fingers orchid (Caladenia pusilla) with sundew (Drosera sp.) in scrubby heathland near Genoa, VIC. First time I've seen this very small orchid at this location although it is easily overlooked when there are lots of larger/showier orchids out all around it!

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Not as many small pink/white Caladenias out around Genoa, VIC this year but did see a couple of nice ones out just back over the border near the Wonboyn River, NSW.

These larger pink forms are probably closer to typical Caladenia carnea (pink fingers) than any of the other variations usually found here - but I've only ever seen single flowering plants. The two flowers here are two separate plants growing close together.

Dry conditions may have cut into spring orchid flowering this year after a pretty good start to the season.

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Waxlip orchid ((Glossodia / Caladenia major) with sundew (Drosera sp. - probably D. auriculata) near Mallacoota, East Gippsland, VIC.

Lots of both sundews and orchids out here in coastal heathland heading into spring - but hot/dry weather since then has seen both suffer a bit in recent weeks.

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A range of interesting variations in the small pink/white Caladenias are out again this spring near the Genoa River, VIC. More typical examples of C. carnea, C. fuscata and C. pusilla all occur nearby but there are always some smaller single-flowering forms that kind of fit imperfectly somewhere in this mix ...

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #EastGippsland #Caladenia