A sign of success for the wilder, long grassy margins
One of nature’s greatest mimics – a bee orchid – was found growing in the pollinator patch at the side of the recreation ground at the beginning of June.
Bee orchids are one of the most beautiful and well known of British native orchids – and its unexpected appearance on the edge of the Recreation Ground added to the plants own ‘wow factor’.
The small delicate flowers mimic a female bee, both in scent and appearance, and so male bees are tricked into landing on them and attempting to mate with them. When the bee moves on to another plant, the pollen it has picked up from the first orchid is transferred to the next. But bee orchids in this country are also able to self-pollinate so the deception is not required!
With the loss of grassland habitats through development and agricultural activities bee orchids are now less common than they used to be. It is certainly not a common species but they can still sometimes be found elsewhere in the parish including in the Coulters Dean Nature Reserve.
