Bee orchid

[Calin]

First bee orchid

[WaterWitchin]

Nice. And now I have The Flight of the Bumblebee rolling around in my head.

[Connie Star]

What kind of orchid is that? It certainly is interesting. How big is it?

[camille1585]

Beautiful flower! Those are some of my favorite native European orchids, back when I lived in the french alps I loved going on hikes looking for them. Is this a cultivated plant or wild growing?

Originally Posted by Connie Star

What kind of orchid is that? It certainly is interesting. How big is it?

This is a species of Ophrys, but I'm not sure which. The one commonly called the bee orchid (at least in french) is Ophyrs apifera, but that one looks very different from the photo, which could be Ophrys speculum.

It's an interesting genus, and they all mimic various female insects in order to attract the males, who then rub themselves on the flower thinking it's a mate and end up pollinating it. A lot of the species (maybe all, but not sure) push the deceptive tactics even further by emitting volatile odors very similar to the female insects' sex pheromones. Nature is so amazing!

[Afid]

That is without a doubt Ophrys speculum, thanks for sharing!

[DirtyCoconuts]

this flower is awesome and i want to learn more about this group right away!!

WW-
the master

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by camille1585

This is a species of Ophrys, but I'm not sure which. The one commonly called the bee orchid (at least in french) is Ophyrs apifera, but that one looks very different from the photo, which could be Ophrys speculum.

It's an interesting genus, and they all mimic various female insects in order to attract the males, who then rub themselves on the flower thinking it's a mate and end up pollinating it. A lot of the species (maybe all, but not sure) push the deceptive tactics even further by emitting volatile odors very similar to the female insects' sex pheromones. Nature is so amazing!

I also vote for Ophrys speculum... I am starting to really get into the Mediterranean terrestrials, this is my favorite, such a perfecl little bug. If you were a bee, wouldn't YOU find "her" irresitable?