Family: orchids (Orchidaceae)
Flowering time: May–June
Size: 15–40 cm
Habitat: rocky slopes, open dry meadows, sunny, warm-loving woodlands
The fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera) is a slender orchid with a pressed leaf rosette. On the stem only scale leaves are developed. The inflorescence rarely forms more than five flowers. The flower consists of six petals. The outer three are light green, the inner three are dark brown. Two of these are small and resemble the antennae of insects, the lower one is large. We call it the honey lip. This lip is velvety; the only bare part is a gleaming blue spot at its center. The fly orchid is on the list of endangered species and in Slovenia is also protected.
The flowers of species in the genus Ophrys, with their hairiness, scent and shape, imitate the females of certain species of Lepidoptera. In this way they attract the males of these insects, who wish to mate with the flowers and thereby pollinate them.
