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Bee orchid, Ophrys apifera flowers opening time lapse Film by Neil Bromhall for my rightplants app. Filmed in my studio over a period of a week. The flowers mimic a bee. The sepals look like wings and the furry, brown lips with yellow markings look like a bumble bee. The mimicry goes further, as the flowers emit a female bee scent to attract the males. Passing males will try to mate with the flower and in the process the pollen is deposited on its body. When the bee visits another bee orchid the pollen is deposited and fertilises the flower. However, self-pollination is the norm and the deception is not really necessary. It takes six years from seed to flowering. The name “Ophrys“ comes from the Greek word ophrys, meaning 'eyebrow'. Apparently woman used the the flowers to darken their eyebrows. I filmed the orchid against a SCO blue background and superimposed a cloudy sky in edit. Music 'Feeling Good' by Kevin MacLeod
