The orchid switched

This orchid was, I think, a Christmas present for BH in 2018, that is to say at the end of 2018. It came in flower and remained in flower for months, being glimpsed here from time to time in the margins of posts about the flowering aloe kept adjacent, for example that at reference 2. More recently, its curious roots were noticed at reference 1, at which time the flowers were still going strong.

Then quite suddenly, at the end of 2019, the flowers died off. And more or less immediately growth kicked in. In this snap, the flowers would have been off-snap top left. But we now have what I imagine is a new, not very strong, flower shoot branching off right. While down below, a fat and healthy looking shoot has emerged from the middle of the plant proper, while various fairly healthy looking shoots have emerged from one of the aerial roots, visible here bottom left.

Does keeping the flowers up, smart and white for all those months take lots of energy from the plant? Do flowers in general soak up energy once they have achieved their full size? Or was it the new flowers which came along at the ends of the flowers shoots which did that?

In any event, as noted above, the flowers gone, the rest of the plant switched into a higher gear more or less immediately.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/10/roots.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/02/week-nine-c.html.