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Guided walks:

Natural Control Systems (with Gall Rust)
Working with Weevils
Collaborative arrangements (with Cyanobacteria)
Early Encounters
Coming to a sticky end in a sundew
Playing tricks on insects
Part of the food chain

Playing Tricks

Orchids often play tricks so that they can be pollinated without having to produce scent or food to attract insects. The centre of this orchid resembles a pea flower. Nearby you may see real pea flowers - for example egg and bacon plants (Nemcia capitatam) that are flowering nearby at the same time and the Donkey Orchid is often pollinated by an insect that mistakes the orchid for the flower of a pea.

Common Donkey Orchid (Diuris sp.)

Bacon and eggs (Nemcia capitatam)

These orchids also depend upon fungi called mycorrhiza to help them survive. Many orchids produce tiny seeds that have to wait until they are invaded by fungi in the soil before they can germinate. Once the fungus invades the orchid seed, the orchid germinates and begins to grow, consuming the fungus as it grows.

Other orchids are able to germinate without a fungus, but need the fungus to support them during the early stage of growth until a leaf has developed to support their growth.

This appears to be a one-way relationship, in which the fungus sacrifices itself to support the orchid, and gets nothing in return! However, sometimes the fungus manages to turn the tables on the orchid and will consume it instead.