Hi Little Bee, what sort of orchid are you talking about and what sort of colour change did you get?

and exactly how is it being grown, little_bee? Is it possible there is more than one plant in the pot? Back in my day I used to purchase seedlings in community pots (only way I could afford good crosses at the time). Some of these plants would be so grown together that it was nearly impossible to tear them apart, and I would pot several up to the next size together until they got big enough to separate them easier. Cane type Dendrobiums were particularly bad about this. I don't think I have ever heard of a single plant changing flower color, or any other characteristic from one blooming to another. Sometimes the flower quality will change after the first blooming, but that's due to the plant gaining strength, and its usually a change in size, color intensity, or number of blooms, etc. etc.

Just a few more thoughts.

Bill

It is a cattleya orchid. I bought it from a plant show with a picture of the color flower. I don't know if they were seedlings but very small. It took a few years for it to bloom. The first year it bloomed it was a purple color with a yellow center (same as picture). This year it is a pale rust/orange color with yellow center. Beautiful!! No complaints, just surprised. It's been mounted it in a small tree since the first blooms appeared. Two pseudobulbs the first time and two this time. I did mount a small seedling cat ned to it but it's so small, it hasn't bloomed yet and won't bloom for a while.

Little_bee, you've got me with that one. I've never seen or heard of that before. I'd suggest certainly growing it on and see what it decides to be when it grows up. ☺ Have fun.

Bill

Temperature can affect on flower color. I don't know for sure about Cattleya I've seen where flowers that were red in previous years were more purple or have faded coloring from being too ware or too cold.

That's so funny Bill..one thing I have learned is that orchids can have a mind of their own. I do think the temp might have had something to do with it. We did get a cold spell her in So Fla back when the buds first appeared...I attached pics for your amusement. I like both colors...

The devil got to me. My neighbor had a big patch of reed stem epi's. All were the same color. Orange with a little yellow in the middle. When they went on vacation I planted a purple keiki. It grew and bloomed. And they could not figure it out. All in good fun...

Yeah, I can see that color shift...it's fairly subtle actually.

Haven't observed reds fading to Orange, but many Laeliinae Hybrids open green and the colour changes to yellow. . Pot. Hoku Gem opens orange and fades to yellow, so the in-bloom plant has two racemes and the blooms that have been open more than a month they are yellow. A Cattleya Lulu opened green with spotting and a week later it is an orange pink tone with spotting.

Might depend a little bit of the timing of the pics.

I know this thread is a year old but we have just had one open green and turn to purple

And you are not going to give any pictures?

I know this is an old post but I think I have a name for your beautiful orchid. Looks like Lc. Caroline Reid 'Glowing Embers.' And...light and temperature can greatly affect the color of blooms. A cooler but brighter exposure will make reds deeper. Great plant you have there.

Wow...I would hardly believe that to the same plant!

It is the same plant. I could not believe it the first time... thought my eyes were playing tricks or I am colour blind.... so i had to take out the picture i took many times in the past and compare.