The Garden Community for Garden Lovers

Bee Orchid - ophrys apifera

Janey

By Janey

18 comments


I was just looking at my photos, when I came across this one I took late last May of Bee Orchids that were flowering at Far Ings nature reserve by the Humber Bridge..
It’s a smashing place to visit with pools and ponds, wonderful birdlife enjoying the reserve, and plenty of walks with picnic spots along the way.

After parking the car and watching Canada geese and other water fowl enjoying the sunny afternoon, paddling and preening, I noticed an area of wild flowers protected from the geese with chicken wire…and there they were..
so many bee orchids in flower and looking so like their name sake it was amazing to see them.

Their main pollinator is the bee and the plant has evolved bee-like flowers to draw bees in to attempt mating..the only thing is, we don’t have the right bees here, so they are self pollinating!

Nature and evolution….incredible..

More blog posts by Janey

Previous post: A Handful of Paintings

Next post: For Dotty Daisy....a handful more...



Comments

 

It's wonderful how plants have evolved interesting ways of getting pollinated and helping the pollinators in the process.

7 Feb, 2018

 

It is Hywel, and over how long I wonder, just makes us realise how old this earth is and her creatures are..

7 Feb, 2018

 

They are beautiful, Janey, and protected, I believe.

8 Feb, 2018

 

Yes they are Eirlys, it can take the Bee Orchid up to 6 years to produce one flower...if the flower is picked the plant has lost its chance to survive...

8 Feb, 2018

 

Good to see they are protected......well spotted!

9 Feb, 2018

 

You lucky lady - I'd love to see these.

9 Feb, 2018

 

Oh I think we've been there Janey on our way home from Yorkshire, thank goodness they have protected the place where the orchids are growing, would be a shame to lose them, thankyou for sharing....

9 Feb, 2018

 

How wonderful,Mother Nature is,Janey,and how things evolve to protect the species....it really is amazing ! such a pretty delicate little flower too,and despite the odds, being able to survive :o)

10 Feb, 2018

 

Thanks Dd and Stera....there's an interesting piece in the Weekend magazine today about our native Orchids and how we can grow them in our gardens to help with their conservation, a bit pricey for seeds or plants but would be a good investment..

It was a rather large area Lincs that was protected, and so many orchids in flower amongst other wild flowers...

It is incredible Sandra....and how many thousands of years would it take to evolve into a bee shape and colours....and after all that...not even the right bee is here, maybe it became extinct in the process....now don't you start laughing...it's had the last laugh finding a way to be self pollinating! :))

10 Feb, 2018

 

Beautiful Orchids, Janey! They immediately brought to my mind some black ones I saw in Cuenca many, many years ago!

In Cuenca, which is nearly in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula, they have an artificial beach alongside the main river. On the other side of the river there is a dirt path & the sides of it are (or at least were) wild grass & flowers. It is baked hard as iron & dry as a desert there yet I came cross several tiny black Orchid plants, growing quite happily there it seemed! I was truly amazed to see them! This happened more than than 30 years ago & I still remember them as clearly as if it were yesterday! The flowers looked exactly like tiny black bees & that was my first impression when I saw them!

11 Feb, 2018

 

That's amazing Balc, a place you wouldn't think would suit them at all, but maybe the river floods with the rains and they have adapted to these conditions.. I had a look on google for them, if you check out birdwatchingspain.net and wildnaturespain you'll see black orchids there...
Have a look Balc...

11 Feb, 2018

 

Thanks very much for the links, Janey! I visited both of them but didn't see any black Orchids. :(

Nevertheless I did see lots of photos of some marvellous Orchids I'd never heard of - or seen - before! :)

12 Feb, 2018

 

The ones I'd seen were obviously not the same ones Balc, think these were in Cantabria... Fascinating though aren't they..:))

12 Feb, 2018

 

What a beautiful 'find'.

15 Feb, 2018

 

They certainly are, Janey!

We have a couple of Orchids at home which we got in flower but have shown no signs of flowering again. One we bought reduced from £8 to 50p January 2017. It has been in our small kitchen window for over a year now but still no sign of new flowers. ?

The other one was given to us by our daughter, perhaps in February last year. That one flowered for a long time & when the flowers finally finished I put it in the kitchen with the other one but again no signs of flowers! ?

As both plants continue to be alive I suppose it's only a matter of time & patience till they flower again!

16 Feb, 2018

 

Are these the Philaenopsis or Moth Orchid Balc? I too cannot grow these at my house...over the years, I've tried all sorts, but no, they're not happy here. I think it's low natural light levels all winter, and the windows not facing the right direction.
I have a friend who can't believe how well they do for her, and she is no plant lady at all! She has a light and airy home with many south facing large windows. The Orchids do so well, sending up new stems time after time and are either in full flower or full of bursting buds..I am so envious!
She never feeds them but does give each an egg cup of tap water every Sunday morning, tipping any excess away after an hour. This is all the care she gives them and they are beautiful! Also, she takes off dead flowers, but never prunes the stems....
Good luck!

17 Feb, 2018

 

Thanks Sisis, I'll be visiting again this Springtime.:))

17 Feb, 2018

 

Thanks for that info, Janey! Yes, they are the Philaenopsis or Moth Orchid plants that we have. For the most part they are left to their own devices with an occasional watering - certainly not nearly as frequently as your friend does with hers! They get plenty of light but they are not in a particularly warm window - it faces more Northwest than anything else! The window is above our kitchen sink & gets lots of light. A couple of times a year - around the solstices - the sun will shine in through that window as it sets in the evening for a few weeks. They will have to stay there for the foreseeable future as I've nowhere else I could put them.

18 Feb, 2018

Add a comment

Recent posts by Janey

Members who like this blog

  • Gardening with friends since
    2 Nov, 2009

  • Gardening with friends since
    24 Mar, 2011

  • Gardening with friends since
    4 Oct, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    7 Jun, 2017

  • Gardening with friends since
    11 Sep, 2013

  • Gardening with friends since
    14 Oct, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    10 Mar, 2012

  • Gardening with friends since
    27 Sep, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    25 Feb, 2011

  • Gardening with friends since
    22 Oct, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    2 Dec, 2011

  • Gardening with friends since
    31 Oct, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    4 Apr, 2009

  • Gardening with friends since
    13 May, 2014

  • Gardening with friends since
    5 May, 2010