Yellow 'Bee' Orchid

Description:

The second most frequently encountered Ophrys in Andalucia this year. Ophrys are all pollinated by sexually deceiving inexperienced male bees wasps (and sometimes beetles). The flowers mimic the insects appearance - in this case the silver flash of folded wings on a brown furry background - and emit a scent which is almost identical to a female wasp or bee. The slight difference in scent has actually been proven to make them more attractive than a real female (!) as a cause of the lure of the exotic, strengthening the gene pool through outbreeding. The shrub is Rosmary - Rosmarinus officinalis

Habitat:

Open Pine woodland, calcareous rocky scrub and grassland.