Rare bee orchid discovered growing outside Sheffield business
A rare type of orchid has been discovered growing outside a distribution firm in Sheffield.
The bee orchid gets its name because it mimics the appearance and smell of a female bee which encourages male bees to fly in to try to mate with it, inadvertently getting covered in pollen which it then passes from flower to flower.
Unfortunately, the right bee species don’t live in the UK so it is completely self-pollinated in this country and is scarcer in the north.
It has, however, now been spotted growing outside the main entrance of Menzies Distribution, on Shepcote Business Park, in Tinsley.
The stem has a number of relatively large pink flowers that look like wings, and furry, brown lips that have yellow markings on, just like a bee.
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