June 10, 2012

Pyramidal Orchid


Color...



Amidst yellow, red-striped Horseshoe Vetch, a Pyramidal Orchid (Orchis pyramidalis) in full bloom. In Mai the first deep pink flower heads can be seen, and they are round. In the following weeks they grow longer and longer, and in June elongated spikes decorate meadows and roadsides.
Only butterflies can reach the nectar at the bottom of the long spurs, but often other insects visit the flower for a meal of pollen.