The first of the Donkey Orchids appeared about a week ago and are now steadily, but slowly, increasing in number in the acres around the house. Even though we’re now into our third dry year, and no rain to speak of in the past few months, these orchids seem to be doing OK.
My best guess is that this is Diuris sulphurea (Tiger Orchid).
While I have no information about the name, the look of it, apart from the ears I see, do remind me of a donkey. Your third year of dry. We had quite a few, but then a refreshing wet spring this year, and good rains early in the summer that filled things up, but since then……not much. And now it is unnaturally hot for the fall and no rain in sight. They say El Nino will make for a wet winter. We’ll see. Perhaps you will have a wet summer??
I have found only one of these on our block this year and in a place I have not seen them before. I thought the dry weather might be keeping them hiding.
They all came out eventually. Not dry any more.