Tiny Tuesday - terrestrial orchid

The final orchid walk of the season today, and what a wonderful walk it was.  We were taken to see this tiny tiny orchid - no more than 4cms high from ground to top - the flower is only about 2 x 1.5 cms.  Very very small, and if you didn't know it was there, you'd miss it.  That's why we have to have guided walks for these things.

We don't do walks any further into the season - a: it's too hot; and b: that's not an awful lot around.  A bit like a winter in the frozen north, except that you have cold and we have heat.  Whatever extreme of temperature you might experience, the natural world goes into a state of limbo, apart from a very few hardy species.

We did see another species, but I can photograph that one at the weekend, so there is still something to look forward to.

Almost forgot: it's a Oligochaetochilus bisetus (try saying that after a couple of beers), a Two-Bristled Rustyhood orchid, endangered in south Australia.

The Rower took a wide angle shot of the desolate area occupied by this orchid.  At the junction of two paths by a fence post.  It's a miracle it survives, but apparently it's been here for more than 5 years.