Male Orchid

It rains too much this month!

Here an insect is seeking shelter in a Male Orchid (Orchis mascula). Orchid flowers have, like other monocots, three sepals and three petals. The dorsal sepal and two petals folded together serve as an umbrella over the head of the fly. It is sitting on the third petal, a lip covered with darker specks to show the way to nectar, but it is not interested at all in food. The other two sepals are folded outward.

Male orchids typically grow in deciduous woods, and the flowers appear just before the new leaves on the trees prevent sunlight reaching the wood floor. Despite their strong purple color they are easy to overlook. The orchid leaves are dark green with brownish purple spots.