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Bee Orchid
Height: 20-70cm
Colour: Pink, Brown, White, Off-white
Flowering: April to July
Soil type: Alkaline
This can be a very tall orchid with the flowers openly spaced along the stem. The most obvious identification for this orchid is the downwards angle of the two outer sepals. The third points upwards and will fold back as the flower ages, these sepals are broad and bear a green central vein are dark pink, pale pink or occasionally white. The two upward petals are very small, almost triangular, green to purplish and may be hairy. Above the main lip is a green projection a little like a swans neck. The lip may have a variation of patterns with a basic brown velvety central lobe that is convex in shape. The pattern below the “open mouth” consists of a violet line bordered in off-white- it may look like a shirt collar a shallow W or an H. The outer lobes are very small in comparison, very hairy to velvety, green or brown. These can appear in a variety of habitats in full sun or shade, from dry to saturated alkaline soils. They grow on dry pastures to damp meadows, garrigue, scrubland, hedgerows and woodland clearings to 1800m altitude. Synonyms: Ophrys arachnites, Ophrys aquisgranensis, Ophrys ripaensis, Ophrys botteronii, Ophrys jurana, Ophrys trollii, Ophrys friburgensis, Ophrys bicolor
These images of orchids were taken in Southern Spain, many terrestrial species are widespread from the Iberian peninsular eastwards through the Mediterranean region.
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