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Ophrys apifera
The Bee Orchid is a special flower that looks like a bee! It has pretty purple and yellow petals and loves to grow in sunny places. This flower is not only beautiful but also helps bees find food.
Habitat: Grasslands
The Bee Orchid has a stem topped with several striking flowers, each mimicking a female bumblebee with fuzzy, brown, velvety lips, yellow markings, and two small, greenish-pink petals resembling antennae. Its sepals are typically bright pink or purple, making it highly distinctive.
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Category
PlantsRarity
Common
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Snaps
Be the first to snap!
It can grow in some surprising places, like old quarries!
Its scientific name 'apifera' literally means 'bee-bearing'.
Male bees get frustrated when they can't find a real mate!
The Bee Orchid is a super rare sight in Ireland.
Bee Orchid can perfectly imitate a female bee's look and scent to trick male bees into attempting to mate with it.
Bee Orchid has sticky pollen masses that attach to the bee during pseudocopulation, ready to be transferred.
Bee Orchid can self-pollinate if no suitable insect pollinators are found, ensuring it can still reproduce.
Eucera longicornis
Male bees are tricked into attempting to mate with the flower.
Tulasnella calospora
Its seeds rely on this fungus to germinate and grow.
Bromus erectus
Often found growing amongst this grass in chalky meadows.
Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
Describes a relationship between two different species where they live in close association, often benefiting one or both.
Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.
No aliases listed yet.
Danger
1/5 · Very low
Look at flowers from a distance and don't pick them, so they can keep growing.
10-50 cm
1-2 cm
Late Spring to Mid-Summer
No
None
Perennial
Insect
Grasslands
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