Not all bees sting …
The Bee Orchid, Ophrys apifera is an attractive and perhaps one of our best known and well-loved orchids. It can be found in a varied range of habitats including on chalk, clay and calcareous sand, in grassland, scrub, sand dunes, limestone pavement, roadside verges, abandoned quarries and industrial waste ground, where the effects of weathering produce a base-rich substrate.
Each plant comprises a number of small flowers (typically two to seven), each of which has a lip resembling a bee, along with three large, pink, petal-like outer sepals - the two other inner sepals appearing like an insects antennae. The entire flower mimics an insect feeding on a flower. At least eight varieties and forms of O. apifera have been identified in Britain. The typical form along with var. chlorantha are illustrated. The flowers of var. chlorantha lack the red-brown pigments, having white sepals and a greenish-yellow lip marked with white.
References:
Lang, D., 2004. Britain’s Orchids. Old Basing, Hampshire: WILDGuides Ltd., pp. 150-153.
https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/plant-fungi-species/bee-orchid