Bee Orchids (Ophrys)
Overview
The genus of Bee Orchids (Ophrys) is in many ways extreme exciting. Bee Orchids have an interesting pollination physiology and an attractive flower structure. Furthermore, Bee Orchids hybridize easily. So far over 250 species are described, which are mainly in the Mediterranean area native. In addition, several species are newly described every year.
Most Bee Orchids species have a differentiated developed, gorgeous and rather great lip, which should imitate species-specific a particular female insect. Generally male insects hatch in spring two to three weeks before female insects. At this time diverse Bee Orchids flower. For most species has mainwhile been proven an own pollination insect. During evolution the plants have succeeded to imitate female insects very good. Some species partly emit the corresponding sexual attractants (pheromones). The mark in the lip mid is often bluish and should imitate the wings of female insects, which often in sunlight bluish shimmer too. Also form, curvature and border hairiness of the lip serve for imitation. Now the deluded male insect tries to copulate the putative female insect. In the best case it gets drafted by the flower a pollinium during this procedure (The production of pollen, which are agglutinate to a pollinium, as a speciality of orchids is already detailed described on another page). The ‚horned‘ male transfers the pollinium on the next flower to the stigma and fertilizes thereby the flower.
Because of the huge number of photos I present the found Bee Orchid species on 4 pages in all
Ophrys aesculapii, Ophrys alasiatica, Ophrys annae, Ophrys apifera, Ophrys apulica, Ophrys araneola, Ophrys argentaria, Ophrys argolica, Ophrys attaviria, Ophrys attica, Ophrys bertolonii, Ophrys bertoloniiformis, Ophrys biancae, Ophrys bicornis, Ophrys biscutella, Ophrys blitopertha, Ophrys bombyliflora, Ophrys bornmuelleri, Ophrys bremifera, Ophrys calocaerina, Ophrys candica, Ophrys chestermannii, Ophrys cinereophila, Ophrys conradiae, Ophrys cornutula, Ophrys corsica
Ophrys creberrima, Ophrys cretensis, Ophrys cretica, Ophrys cretica ssp. beloniae, Ophrys creticola, Ophrys delphinensis, Ophrys dodekanensis, Ophrys elegans, Ophrys eleonorae, Ophrys episcopalis, Ophrys ferrum-equinum, Ophrys flammeola, Ophrys flavomarginata, Ophrys fleischmannii, Ophrys fuciflora, Ophrys funerea, Ophrys fusca, Ophrys gottfriediana, Ophrys gracilis, Ophrys grammica, Ophrys grandiflora, Ophrys halia, Ophrys hebes, Ophrys heldreichii, Ophrys helenae, Ophrys herae, Ophrys heterochila, Ophrys incubacea, Ophrys insectifera
Ophrys iricolor, Ophrys israelitica, Ophrys kotschyi, Ophrys lacaena, Ophrys lacaitae, Ophrys lapethica, Ophrys leochroma, Ophrys levantina, Ophrys leucadica, Ophrys leucophthalma, Ophrys lucis, Ophrys lunulata, Ophrys lutea, Ophrys malvasiana, Ophrys mammosa, Ophrys mammosa ssp. ustulata, Ophrys melena, Ophrys morio, Ophrys morisii, Ophrys mycenensis, Ophrys neglecta, Ophrys normannii, Ophrys obaesa, Ophrys oestrifera, Ophrys oestrifera ssp. stavri, Ophrys omegaifera, Ophrys ortuabis, Ophrys oxyrrhynchos, Ophrys pallida, Ophrys panattensis
Ophrys parvimaculata, Ophrys parvula, Ophrys passionis var. garganica, Ophrys phryganae, Ophrys regis-ferdinandii, Ophrys reinhardiorum, Ophrys reinholdii, Ophrys rhodia, Ophrys sicula, Ophrys sipontensis, Ophrys sitiaca, Ophrys speculum, Ophrys sphegodes, Ophrys spruneri, Ophrys subfusca ssp. liveriani, Ophrys sulcata, Ophrys tarentina, Ophrys tarquinia, Ophrys ulyssea, Ophrys umbilicata, Ophrys untchjii, Ophrys villosa, Ophrys zonata