Bee Orchid Colour
Orchid bees offer a vivid field of study because their color patterns provide important clues about lineage and identity. This article rephrases the central idea of using color signals to identify orchid bee species and explains practical methods for interpreting these signals. The goal is to present a clear and authoritative guide that can be used by field researchers and serious enthusiasts.
Orchid bees come in an amazing array of shapes and colors. There are big fuzzy black and yellow Eulaema, bright green Exaerete as long as your finger, and the brilliant, metallic Euglossa in shining blue, green, red, and gold. Orchid bees are found only in the Americas.
Bee Orchid
There are around 200 different known species, and new orchid bee species are discovered every year. The most diverse orchid. Ophrys apifera, known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Ophrys, in the family of Orchidaceae.
It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, a highly selective and highly evolved plant. Ophrys apifera, or Bee Orchid, is a terrestrial orchid with remarkable flowers mimicking female bees, attracting males for pollination. The bee orchid's petals are arranged to form a convincing likeness of a female bee, complete with a head, thorax, and abdomen.
Bee Orchid: Ophrys apifera
The color patterns, often a combination of black, yellow, and brown, closely resemble those found on real bees. Some species even have a small, raised structure resembling a bee's antennae. The most recognized bee color is black and yellow, with stripes on the back.
But different species of bees may be blue, white, orange, red and more! With over 20,000 bee species worldwide, there are a number of colors you may see in the wild. Thousands of bee species exist around the globe, with North America having over 4,000 species. The diverse species of bees exhibit different colors and.
The Bee Orchid
Bee orchid are terrestrial or ground orchids. During summer, all bee orchid orchids are dormant as underground bulbous tubers, which serve as a food reserve. In late summer/autumn they develop a rosette of leaves.
The shiny, basal leaves have a green or bluish color. They are widespread across much of Europe, North Africa, the Canary Islands, and the Middle East as far east as Turkmenistan. Orchid Bees: (Apidae: subfamily Euglossinae: Euglossa)Not native to PNW The males of this group are mind-blowingly iridescent green (mostly, but other colors as well) large to small bees.
They are found throughout the New World tropical regions. Though the females are generalist-feeders with simple hind-leg pollen transporting hairs, the males are famous for collecting oils from orchid flowers. The Bee Orchid flowers from June to July, producing between 1 and 12 flowers per spike.
Each flower mimics the appearance of a female bee to attract male bees for pollination. The lip (labellum) is broad, velvety, and colored brownish-red with yellow and white markings, strongly resembling a bee's body. Above this is a prominent pink to purplish hood formed by the sepals, and two small green.
Identification The three species are easily told apart by the appearance of their flowers. Note the colour of the upper sepals/petals and the shape and pattern of markings on the labellum (the larger, lower petal). Common Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera Native.
Widespread and fairly common on roadsides, commons, cliff slopes and similarly grassy places.
