# Yellow Bee-orchid (*Ophrys lutea*)

The Yellow Bee-orchid is a beautiful flower that looks like a bee! It blooms in spring and is often found in sunny places. This flower is special because it attracts real bees with its shape and color.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![Yellow Bee-orchid](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ophrys_lutea_1_maig.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Victor M. Vicente Selvas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ophrys_lutea_1_maig.JPG)

## Appearance

The Yellow Bee-orchid has bright yellow sepals and petals, often with greenish bases. Its distinctive brownish-red labellum features a striking blue or violet H-shaped marking and yellow margins, masterfully resembling a female bee.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Asparagales
- **Family:** Orchidaceae
- **Genus:** Ophrys

## Interesting facts

- It offers no nectar; its trick is purely visual and scent-based.
- Its tiny seeds need special underground fungi to help them grow and sprout.
- Male bees try to mate with its flowers, thinking they are real female bees!
- This orchid gets its name because its flowers look just like fuzzy bees!

## Special abilities

- **Mimicry Master:** Yellow Bee-orchid can perfectly imitate a female bee, tricking males into spreading its pollen.
- **Scent Specialist:** It releases a special scent that smells just like a female bee, attracting pollinators.
- **Underground Storehouse:** Yellow Bee-orchid has underground tubers that store food and water, helping it survive tough times.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-30 cm
- **Spread:** 5-10 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Dark Gaster Bee (*Andrena nigroaenea*) — Tricked into spreading pollen.
- **Symbiotic with:** Mycorrhizal Fungus (*Tulasnella calospora*) — Provides nutrients for growth.
- **Eaten by:** [Garden Snail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-snail) (*Helix aspersa*) — Feeds on its leaves and flowers.

## 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.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.
- [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.
- [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look at flowers from a distance and don't pick them, so they can keep growing.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Yellow 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 Yellow Bee-orchid?

10-30 cm

### How wide does Yellow Bee-orchid spread?

5-10 cm

### How big are the flowers on Yellow Bee-orchid?

1-2 cm

### When does Yellow Bee-orchid bloom?

Spring

### Is Yellow Bee-orchid edible?

No

### Is Yellow Bee-orchid toxic?

None

### What is Yellow Bee-orchid's lifecycle?

Perennial

## 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*)

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Source: [Yellow Bee-orchid: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-bee-orchid)