Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera

This attractive and hardy orchid can grow up to 30cms, and can take 5-8 years to flower. The flower is very unique, with its pink petals and a brown centre which looks like the body of a bee.

Conservation status in Norfolk

The bee orchid is declining. Orchids, of many different kinds, have declined not just in Norfolk but right across England. In the past, orchids have been picked for their attractive flowers. In the case of the bee orchid the single flower is the culmination of up to 8 years growth and, if picked, the plant is unlikely to flower again and has lost its only chance of producing seeds.

Click to see the Biodiversity Action Plan Species for this species

How to help

Become a conservation volunteer and help with the practical management of flower-rich grasslands. Tread carefully when walking in orchid-rich areas and never pick or dig up an orchid.

Adopt me today and help ensure my future!

Bee Orchid: Bryan Fletcher

Bee Orchid: Lucy Denman

Bee Orchids: Peter Mallett

Information on the Bee Orchid

How to recognise

In flower the bee orchid is unlikely to be mistaken for any other British species. The three pink ‘wings’ of the flower and the central hairy brown ‘bee body’ patterned with yellow spots and lines are unique. Each flower appears as if, at the centre of the three pink ‘petals’, a small hairy bee is sucking nectar. The bee is formed by the lower lip of the orchid flower. The flowers project outwards from a single green flower spike which varies in height from just 5cm to over 30 cm. spikes usually have 2-6 flowers but only one or two are likely to be fully open at any one time with the flowers at the top of the spike being the last to open. The leaves are broad and green, shaped like the keel of a boat, with parallel veins running the length of the leaf. The lower leaves are largest and higher leaves clasp the flower spike.

Where to see

Bee orchids are notoriously unpredictable, appearing for a few years at a site in good numbers and then completely vanishing. They prefer freely-drained and base-rich soils and can be found on areas of chalk grassland, in coastal sand dunes, woodland rides and in grassland amongst scrub. They may even appear on unmown lawns and on previously disturbed ground around building or quarry sites.

When to see

Most likely to be seen in flower between May and July. Between January and March the tubers lie dormant underground. Flower spikes first appear in May. The lowest flowers on the spike open earliest. Some plants will have fully open flowers by late May. The flowering continues throughout July. Seed capsules develop as the flowers die off. Each capsule contains 6,000-10,000 tiny seeds. By October the dead brown flowering spikes are sometimes still visible. Below ground only those seeds which are successful in gaining nutrients from fungal hyphae will begin their 5-8 years development before flowering.

Did you know?

The flower of the bee orchid produces a scent like a female bee and its shape has also evolved to attract male bees. The bees attempt to mate with the flower and in so doing transfer pollen between plants. However in England it is thought that bee orchids only reproduce asexually and the species of bee that the flower evolved to attract is not found here.

Finding out more

PlantLife International:
www.plantlife.org.uk

The Orchid Society of Britain:
www.orchid-society-gb.org.uk

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