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Bee Orchid Orchid family
Ophrys apifera Orchidaceae

The Bee Orchid flower has a velvety brown lip with yellow markings that resemble a bee. It also emits a scent reminiscent of the pheromone of a female wasp to attract wasps for pollination. When an insect alights on the flower, it brushes against the pollen sacs dangling on stalks at the top of the flower: these then spring forward, releasing pollen onto the insect.

Bee Orchid plant Flower close-up




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