Ophrys species resemble insects
Identifying Bee orchids Ophrys apifera
I think Bee orchids, Ophrys apifera are relatively easy to identify as they resemble a fat bumblebee! They can be found in chalky grasslands. Both places I saw them was very well drained and poor soil. The flowers are 2 to 3 cm across and pale pink with a rounded brown furry lip. The flower stem is about 30cm. As far as I know, the only other species it could be confused with is Late spider orchid, Ophrys fuciflora, which is only found in Kent. Let me know if you disagree!
I saw some bee orchids out on a walk with the Wildflower Society in the Eastbourne area.
Pale Bee orchids- Ophrys apifera var flavescens
I was lucky enough to be shown these on the same Eastbourne walk as mentioned above. Our leader explained that the colour is not pure white but a very pale pink. He showed us that the rounded brown lip is also paler in colour, ranging from beige to light green.
Identifying Early spider-orchid – Ophrys sphegodes
These famously grow by the thousand at Samphire Hoe. I found them there on the Kent coast on chalk in mid-May. The orchid is rare and likes short grass near the sea. The flower spikes I saw were about 15 to 25 cm high, bearing about three to six flowers along the stem.
The individual flowers were about 2cm across, and varied from the Bee orchid in that the sepals were green not pink or white. The lower lip was dark brown and furry resembling a fat spider’s abdomen. I noticed that the lower lip was fatter at the sides than the Bee orchid and had no yellow lines. The lower lip had a dark but shiny H shaped marking.
Identifying Fly orchid – Ophrys insectifera
I found these inland in Kent in grass in a clearing in dense woodland in mid-May. You can see the habitat from the photo below. The Lady orchids (out of focus, behind) being large and colourful drew me to the spot where I also found Early Purple Orchids, Common Spotted Orchids in bud and Common Twayblade (foreground).
The delicate flowers were hard to spot because they are sparsely held on narrow stems. I was able to find them because I knew they’d be near the other orchids. I only found one flower in full bloom per stem but it did look like there was at least one more bud at the top of the spike which was about 25cm high.
Each flower was about 1 to 2cm across and unsurprisingly resembled a large dark brown fly. The sepals were green not pink or white. The lower lip was narrower than the other species on this page, was deeply notched, and had two arm-like side lobes. There are two thread-like upper petals resembling antennae.
Read more about Ophrys – Bee, Spider and Fly Orchids
I hope to identify other Ophrys species such as the Late spider orchid, Ophrys fuciflora mentioned above.
Blog posts mentioning Bee, Spider and Fly orchids – Ophrys are tagged Ophrys
https://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/tag/ophrys/
2021 was a particularly good year for orchids in my neck of the woods!
In 2024 I found some Greater Butterfly Orchids and Lizard Orchids in Normandy France
More about Orchids in general