Early Spider Orchid - Ophrys sphegodes

            This stunning orchid in the UK only grows on the south coast of England, a lengthy travel for me and the time they flower is not normally at a time when I can have a week off work.

2024 saw them start flowering extremely early and with awful weather forecast at home it was time for a long weekend away.  Durlston Country Park in Dorset is quite the drive from Northumberland but it was a journey instantly rewarded when I found a one with some fresh flowers within the first few minutes on site.  

There were 100s across the site, the majority already finished but plenty still with fresh flowers for a perfect start to the trip.

Early Spider Orchids are pollinated by the Buffish mining bee Andrena nigroaena and are a Red List species in the UK due to the habitat required rather than the bee being rare.

The family name Ophrys is the Greek word for "eyebrow", presumably referring to the furry edges of several species.  The Ophrys genus containing over 200 species.  Sphegodes comes from the Ancient Greek for wasp-like

Taken on: May 4, 2024

Tags:

Ophrys sphegodes

Ophrys

Orchid

Dorset

Durlston Country Park

Macro

Canon

Sigma.

Canon 7d Mark II

Sigma 105 Macro

Swanage

UK Orchids « less

Sets appears in: • Orchids

Groups appears in: • Orchids • wild orchids more » • Orchid Species Photographs • Britain's Orchids • Orchids of the world • BBC Springwatch (Official) • Flora of the British Isles: A Photographic Guide • Nature | Flora & Fauna • WILD ORCHIDS OF EUROPE • in explore • orchidee...la passione !!!! (only wild orchids) • British Isles Flora and Fauna • WONDERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN GENERAL.MARAVILLAS DE LA FOTOGRAFIA EN « less

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