# Bee Orchid (*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. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Bee Orchid](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/%28MHNT%29_Ophrys_apifera_-_Villeneuve-l%C3%A8s-Bouloc_-_Flower.jpg&width=800) Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%28MHNT%29_Ophrys_apifera_-_Villeneuve-l%C3%A8s-Bouloc_-_Flower.jpg) ## Appearance 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Liliopsida - **Order:** Asparagales - **Family:** Orchidaceae - **Genus:** Ophrys ## Interesting facts - 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. ## Special abilities - **Bee Deceiver:** Bee Orchid can perfectly imitate a female bee's look and scent to trick male bees into attempting to mate with it. - **Sticky Pollen Pockets:** Bee Orchid has sticky pollen masses that attach to the bee during pseudocopulation, ready to be transferred. - **Self-Fertilizing Power:** Bee Orchid can self-pollinate if no suitable insect pollinators are found, ensuring it can still reproduce. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-50 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late Spring to Mid-Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Long-horned Bee (*Eucera longicornis*) — Male bees are tricked into attempting to mate with the flower. - **Symbiotic with:** Fungus (*Tulasnella calospora*) — Its seeds rely on this fungus to germinate and grow. - **Shelter:** Upright Brome (*Bromus erectus*) — Often found growing amongst this grass in chalky meadows. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Symbiotic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/symbiotic): Describes a relationship between two different species where they live in close association, often benefiting one or both. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Look at flowers from a distance and don't pick them, so they can keep growing. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Bee Orchid? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Bee Orchid? 10-50 cm ### How big are the flowers on Bee Orchid? 1-2 cm ### When does Bee Orchid bloom? Late Spring to Mid-Summer ### Is Bee Orchid edible? No ### Is Bee Orchid toxic? None ### What is Bee Orchid's lifecycle? Perennial ### How is Bee Orchid pollinated? Insect ## Where to spot - [Biosphärenreservat Bliesgau](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/biospharenreservat-bliesgau) — Saarland, DE · Park - [Naturpark Fränkische Schweiz – Frankenjura](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/franconian-switzerland-frankenjura-nature-park) — Bayern, DE · Park - [Naturpark Habichtswald](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-habichtswald) — Hessen, DE · Park - [Naturpark Kyffhäuser](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-kyffhauser) — Thüringen, DE · Park - [Naturpark Saale-Unstrut-Triasland](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-saale-unstrut-triasland) — Sachsen-Anhalt, DE · Park - [Naturpark Südeifel](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-sudeifel) — Rheinland-Pfalz, DE · Park [View all places to see Bee Orchid](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/bee-orchid) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Bee Orchid: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bee-orchid)