Country diary: A tiny orchid with mighty powers of deception

Automatisch samengesteld met AI uit de vermelde bronnen

Upwards of 20 fly orchids (Ophrys insectifera) were observed on a South Downs chalk grassland hill, flowering from mid-May in dappled chalk woodland margins. The labellum petal is folded to give a volumetric illusion, with a central iridescent blue patch mimicking the sheen of folded wings; the species is pollinated by the digger wasp, a rarity in the Ophrys genus, which is mostly bee-pollinated. Charles Darwin studied a Kent population for years without witnessing pollination, and fertilization rates remain alarmingly low. It is the fifth Country diary entry published this month.