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Project Noah Nature School
Ophrys speculum
First shot is in Maquis, the second over Gypsum
Pollinated by the Scolid wasp Dasyscolia ciliata, which has orange/brown furry stripes and wings that flash blue when folded in the sun. Despite seeing hundreds of this amazing Ophys and some very patient waiting, I didn't see a single pollinator.
Spotted on Apr 6, 2011
Submitted on Oct 8, 2011
5 Comments
He abierto la misión "Biodiversidad en España/Spain": http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/9014...
¿Puedes incluir tus spottings? Gracias.
Okay Craig...now I know you're out there if you can identify a Dasyscolia ciliata by it's smell. Definitely into pheremones...watch out ladies!
Yes - these are sexy ladies! They even smell similar to a female wasp.
I did a pollination study at one sight, where flowering was well over, and it was well bellow 1%. It would be nice to know if the wasps had a bad yaer or flowering failed to coincide with the inexperienced males who get duped into the dirty deed! This is by far the most common Ophrys we saw in Andalucia though, with O.lutea coming in a close second.
Very cool! In terms of orchid pollination biology: Psuedo-copulation
Excellent!
Timing is everything. Great spot.