The elusive Bee Orchid shows itself
July 2, 2009 by Bird
Filed under Blog, Flora, Good Stuff, Summer, Wild London
It’s high time I continued the story begun in last week’s post Here Be Dragons. Did I find any Bee Orchids? I hadn’t meant to tease but yes, yes I did! As you can see from the pictures here, I saw some beauties.
To recap… after bumping into wildlife photographer David Cottridge beside the pond on Tottenham Marshes, he offered to show me where the rumoured Ophrys apiphera, or Bee Orchid, was flowering. I had been there once before on a fruitless search so I was thrilled to bits that this time I would not be disappointed! I was led to a small area of open meadow which had obviously been mown at some point; the grass was shorter and the undergrowth sparser in general – perfect Orchid habitat. How had I not spotted this admittedly modest clearing before? And there they were. I didn’t spot the first one; not knowing quite what to expect David had to point it out to me.
The flowers are a little bit smaller than I’d imagined, about the size of a thumbnail. It doesn’t matter that I have a field guide, somehow the measurements never sink in when I read them and taking the name of the plant literally, I’d been on the lookout for something perhaps the size of a large bumblebee. There is a fairly good reason why I made this error though, and it has to do with this plant’s fascinating and bizarre method of reproduction.
The Bee Orchid is a shameless mimic, and what it mimics as you might guess is bees. It imitates female bees of a particular species right down to the scent it gives off, which to a male bee is as convincing and seductive as his intended mate would be. The Bee Orchid’s flower also looks, to a bee at least, very much like a prospective female. Sadly the Bee Orchid which is native to the UK mostly flaunts it’s flowers and scent in vain; it is thought that the original bee which it was trying to seduce is extinct, but I’ve read that bees of a different species will occasionally be mistaken. But why is the plant bothering to do this in the first place?
Take a look at the above picture. The bloom on the left has what looks like a little yellow ball hanging from it’s hood, in fact there are two of these and they are called pollinia. Pollinia are dense packages of pollen, and to set seed the orchid needs some way of transmitting their pollinia to other plants. So imagine – the excited bee lands on the flower and attempts to mate with it, at which point
“a curved column that houses both male and female plant organs descends from the top of the orchid and glues a pair of pollinia to his head. If the next orchid he visits has already dispatched it’s pollinia, then the column will pick up the one he carries and the orchid is fertilised” (pg 126, The Private Life Of Plants, David Attenborough)
This little plant is luring the hapless bee on a false promise of sexual bliss in order to have it’s own reproductive needs met. Or it would be, if any bees were answering it’s scented call. UK bee orchids, bereft of their original pollinator are luckily able to pollinate themselves so it’s a good job I hadn’t sat down in the grass expecting to see this drama enacted, because I’d have been there still.
Back to the little clearing, and David and I were tiptoeing about in the grass trying to find the perfect angle for a picture. There were several flower spikes and each spike had flowers slightly different from the others – it seems they are vary variable. David pointed out the one pictured above as being particularly striking. The area the orchids were flowering in has been mown for the last couple of years as a traditional hay meadow by Friends Of Tottenham Marshes in an attempt to encourage wildflowers; apparently these orchids had shown their heads the very first year this was done.
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Amazing photographs! We don’t have that orchid here in the US, so it was quite a treat to see the ones you found. And to vicariously share in the thrill of the hunt and discovery. Thanks.
Jackie, it’s my pleasure to share such a fantastic little plant – and I love that it is growing in a tiny patch of green amid the urban sprawl! Finding it at last was a real thrill. I’ve been enjoying your series of posts on plant reproduction, you have the most beautiful pictures.
Now this post was/is really fascinating.
Also I bow to your knowledge. (thinks: next time bird visits my blog, I’d better bow ever so slightly and usher you in with a hushed ‘this way ma’am if you please.’)
But seriously (and that’s difficult after David Attenborough’s description of a bee gettiing a condensed pollen package on the back of his head) what a joy it is to read your post.
xhenry
ps: When women finally give up men entirely – do you think they will evolve to self-pollinate?
Henry, I’m only as knowledgeable as the books of Richard Mabey and David Attenborough have made me, but I certainly won’t stop you if you want to bow me in
As to human self pollination… where’s the fun in that?
What a marvelous adventure — there is nothing more mystical than searching through the lowlands for some rare plant. And what a plant this is! If we saw an orchid that beautiful I think we’d just have to build a little grass hut right in front of it and stare at it until its bloom finally faded. How marvelous!
They really are lovely things, I felt like I’d passed some kind of initiation when I finally got to see them
I’ll be honest with you – I was so blown away I think I hardly took the experience in, so I am going back to the little clearing again soon to sit with these flowers peacefully, without a camera nagging me to take a picture. I just hope that they are still flowering and the moment isn’t already lost…
Wonderful post, it is a rather small little thing is it not? And the Pollinia glad you pointed it out it does look like the back leg of a bee!Thanks for the hard work you put into this post it was awesome.
Amanda thank you, and welcome! You know it really does look like the leg of a bee now you say it, it looks like the pollen baskets bees have on their legs to carry pollen in, and I hadn’t noticed that before so thank you!
Holy cow, Bird. What fantastic photos! They are simply gorgeous, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson on bee orchids. How amazing that the orchid evolved in such a way to know that it could attract an insect. I find that incredible. Thank you so much and now I’m wondering if we have bee orchids over here…
Thanks Holly! The orchids were so photogenic it was like shooting fish in a barrel – well, once I got the angle right. It’s interesting how they look much bigger in the photos than they actually are, when I first saw one I couldn’t believe how small and perfect it was. I know you get different kinds of Bee Orchids in continental Europe but beyond that I’m not sure where else they might grow.
Wow.. great photos. Thanks for the post…very informative.
Nino Natividad
You are welcome Nino!
I’m so envious of you, Bird–a bee orchid in its natural habitat! I can sense the excitement in your writing. One of Charles Darwin’s amazing works was _On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foriegn Orchids are Fertilised by Insects, and on the Good Effects of Intercrossing_, which I think helped Darwin hone many of his ideas about natural selection. (I’m not sure he ever stated the facts as entertainingly as David Attenborough, however. With that title, you could Darwin going on at some length…)
I was pretty thrilled when I encountered my first wild orchid in a preserve not far from me. It was a tiny little nondescript thing–much less amazing as yours–but it was a wild orchid, right here in Southern California. That was many years ago, but I still remember that day.
I can tell you now I was chuffed to bits about finding them, still am. I can imagine some of the excitement of your orchid discovery, there is something about finding a wild orchid that feels like a secret being passed on. And the thing is, it doesn’t matter if they are only small, if there are not many. Finding these plants is magical, always. I know you will never forget your orchids, the ones you found in the preserve.
I think one of the things that years ago made me wake up about the natural world was accidentally stumbling upon a meadow filled with orchids. This was years ago in my home town – I was walking off a bad mood and found myself in a place I’d never explored before, a patch of waste ground near some factories. On an industrial estate – a field of orchids! I’m guessing that they were common spotted or early pyramidal, whatever they were it was a true thrill of discovery and so unexpected. One of my best wildlife encounters ever.
…And wow, Darwin had a rare skill with the catchy titles, didn’t he?
“there is something about finding a wild orchid that feels like a secret being passed on”
Wow, what a beautiful little thought! I love that!
What a fascinating post and fabulous photographs. I never thought about plants mimicking other wild life. I’m used to birds and insects mimicking plants but interesting to have it the other way round. The bee orchid is beautiful.
It’s true, the natural world is full of talented mimics! There is always something new to be amazed by isn’t there? When I first heard about these plants I was all agog to see some for myself – I didn’t even know at the time that they lived in the UK, let alone in my own neighbourhood
Just imagine all the strange stuff that is going on that we don’t know about, that we dont get to see 
It’s hard to believe that something so awesome simply grows out there.
What a wonderful find.
I’ve never seen this kind before.
I know… and it simply grows about a mile and a half from where I live! I am now dying to know what other wonders there are to be found.
Really interesting. I’m glad there aren’t human orchids.
ULP! Ryan, what a thought! Actually there are some called Man Orchids, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about…
I am so glad you finally found them
I have to say that it is not something that I have ever seen but then I probably wasn’t looking. I seem to see so much more through the eye of a lens. I have seen butterflies this year that I have never previously encountered.
These are very lovely images and I really enjoyed reading about them. How much I learn through blogging
Having a camera really makes you look hard doesn’t it? I think it has really tuned my eye, but you need to have the interest too to start with I guess. I am envious of your seeing so many butterflies – I usually have to get out of our built up neighbourhood to see anything other than small whites, but we’ve had a few nice ones in the garden this year. I’m glad you enjoyed reading about the orchids, I gave them a bit of a build up didn’t I? But they deserved it, they really are just fascinating and I feel so lucky to have seen them.
Great infor and What a Gorgeous Flower! The last one looks like it is smiling.
Dawn you are right! It really does look like it’s smiling, so I guess just like the bees we see what we want to see there
What exquisite little blossoms! Imagine, just around the corner like that. . . and so tiny, so fairy-like. . . no wonder you’re excited. Beautiful.
They were gorgeous, and sadly I haven’t had the chance to go back again for another look so they may well all be finished now
But I’m glad I saw them at all! I am told that they are fickle and may not even bloom at all next year, so seeing them that one time really was special.
Hey Bird nature is amazing.
These are very interesting captures.
Anna
Hi Anna, it most certainly is, and thank you!
Incredible photos…they make me think of dragons…though that might just be my strange brain…
Your brain may well be strange, but that top photo in particular really is quite dragony (dragonesque?). These flowers are so open to interpretation!
Hello Bird…what an interesting plant and you did get some great photos. I am sad to hear that the little bee is probably extinct as bees are in so much trouble around the world as it is….Michelle
Michelle, the plight of bees worldwide is harrowing. I can’t say it with any authority but I think this species of bee may have become extinct before our current situation of mass bee deaths. Not that it makes the loss of one of our native bees any better…
The Birds In The Meadow has been included in this weeks A Sunday Drive. I hope this helps to attract even more new visitors here.
http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2009/07/sunday-drive_19.html
Thank you FishHawk, that really is most kind of you!
Fantastic post. I’ve been looking in vain for orchids, so your post definitely makes up for this. The tale of an extinct bee is a little sad, but your pictures are a real joy.
I’m glad I got to share Goo, it was a lovely and exciting thing to find – when you find your own orchids I bet you’ll be as chuffed as I was, so good luck with your search!