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A bee orchid spotted in my front garden (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by nimomycelium@lemmy.world to c/nature@feddit.uk

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[–] nimomycelium@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thank you. You might find this of interest >> RHS - Ophrys apifera. My soil is fairly 'alkaline' and 'loamy'. Although I reside in a major city the area I live in is essentially rural and so these wild flowers aren't uncommon. That being said I used to only have one bee orchid every two years but recently I am having one every year and each year I am getting a number 'colonies'. This year I have five clumps of bee orchids in the front lawn. Oddly, none have been spotted in the back, which is south facing. So I can only assume that these plants don't thrive in direct sunlight.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 3 points 1 year ago

Sounds like they are doing well. Bee orchids have a symbiotic relationship with a fungus, so if you have one doing well, you know the fungus is present and more will likely follow. While light might be a factor, they tend to prefer open grasslands, so I suspect the difference might be in the fungus. If you were feeling bold, you could try transplanting a clump to the back garden in the hope that the fungus would take hold and spread.