Ophrys apifera. Bee orchid.
Life-form & Growth Form:
Non-bulbous geophyte. Herbaceous perennial. Little/no vegetative spread.
Flowering period:
June and July.
Habitats:
Limestone grassland. Calcareous sand dunes. Railway banks. Roadside verges. Limestone pavement. Quarries & gravel-pits. Industrial waste ground (open mosaic habitat).
Threats:
Habitat loss and fragmentation through ploughing up and re-seeding of calcareous grassland. Eutrophication from agricultural run-off. Overgrazing and excessive trampling by livestock. Under-grazing leading to encroachment of scrub. Development or in-filling of former quarry sites. Coastal squeeze due to climate change and reclamation of coastline for agricultural use. Trampling by visitors to coastal dunes.
Static distribution map:
