Male Digger wasp trying to mate with a fly orchid flower in a nature reserve in the English countryside
The fly orchid secretes sex pheromones that attract male Digger Wasps. The wasps attempt to copulate with the flowers, resulting in pollinia being stuck to their heads. Once the female wasps emerge, some two weeks after the males, the Fly Orchids are left alone
Size: 3413px × 5120px
Location: Homefield wood, Marlow nature reserve, Berkshire, England
Photo credit: © Tim Gainey / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -evolution, antennae, attracts, behavior, behavioral, bloom, botanical, botany, britain, brown, coevolution, countryside, deception, digger, ecology, england, environment, fauna, flora, floral, flower, flowering, flowers, fly, green, horticulture, insect, insectifera, instinct, lateral, muscifera, natural, nature, ophrys, orchid, orchids, orchis, patterns, petals, pheromones, plant, pollinating, pollination, pollinator, predator, protected, purple, reserve, rural, secretes, sepal, sex, specialist, specialty, species, speculum, sphecidae, sphex, stem, uk, variety, velvety, wasp, wild, wildflower, wildflowers, wood, woodland, yellow
