Ophrys apifera
AKA: Humble Bee orchid, Bee-flower, Honey-flower
With its insect-like flower, this orchid is unmistakable. The bee orchid measures 10—40cm tall, although robust specimens can reach 65cm; and the flower measure up to 3cm across. The number of flowers on each plant can vary from 2 to 11. The bee orchid has a rosette of leaves at ground level and two long elliptical pointed leaves that grow up the stem as a sheath.
The stem holds a number of relatively large spaced-out flowers with pink or greenish-pink sepals that look like wings, and furry, reddish-brown lips that are rounded at the tip and have gold, yellow and brown markings on. The markings form a ‘U’ or ‘W’ shape on the lower lip (labellum) of the flower. They are patterned to appear just like the rear of a small female bee. The orchid also emits a female bee scent and is hairy to touch. Males arrive trying to mate with it and in doing so also pollinate the flower. However, the bee orchid population in the UK is thought to be largely self-pollinating.
Flowering can be rather sporadic and can make it difficult to find the plant in the same location each year. In some years they may appear in large numbers, and in others seem to disappear, only to reappear again when conditions are favourable! Bee orchids (Ophrys) are mainly Mediterranean species and are at their limit of their range in northern Europe.
Where and when to see them
The spikes of these orchids can be seen as early as May, but they tend not to flower until June and July. The lowest flowers on the spike open first, and the flowers at the top are the last to open.
You may have to be patient as they can take 5 to 8 years before flowering!
Look on calcareous grasslands, dunes, disturbed ground, and quarries.
View a bee orchid 10km distribution map of Wales
Legal status
None.
Similar species
Wasp orchid (Ophrys apifera var. trollii)
There are lots of varieties of bee orchid, but the one most likely encountered is the Wasp orchid. It looks different from a regular bee orchid with a long narrow pointed lip which has no ‘U’ or ‘W’ shaped markings but a marbled or mottled brown pattern instead.
Did you know?
The genus name Ophrys is a Greek word meaning eyebrow. It is thought that Roman women used the flower to darken their eyebrows, or it may just be a nod to the hairy fringe of the lip of the flower of orchids in this genus.
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