We found at least 20 beautiful Bee Orchids in a flowery meadow. I won’t disclose its location because Bee Orchids are rare and protected plants in the Netherlands. It took my family two years to find them, and wow, what an excitement and enchantment to study them so close up and look into their funny faces.
The other photos are taken by me from bouquets of a ‘flower picking’ field near Amelisweerd in Utrecht. Gorgeous bouquets.
What are Bee Orchids? Bee Orchids are orchids that mimic bees as their main flowering parts to attract bees for pollination. If you find that stunning, there is more. There are orchids that mimic spiders (Ophrys sphegodes), bugs (Neottia ovata), wasps (Epipactis & ) and flies (Ophrys insectifera). How do plants mimic insects?
Biologists say: ‘Evolution’.
I say: ‘There is more to it’.
Photos of Bee Orchids and Dactylorhiza maculata, by Thom Kluck; Bee Orchid in acrylic paint by Paula Kuitenbrouwer
It was lovely to see my painting alive, in a lovely flowery meadow. You just can’t get enough of orchids, can you? Their complex, three-dimensional beauty is wonderful. The bee-orchids were at their most beautiful and on many photos we later noticed their pollen. My brother, a nature guide, told me that their seeds are microscopic. Maybe we say their seeds and pollen. We hope the orchids will make their return to our flower meadows, those meadows that are set apart for nature to show her spontaneous beauty.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Filed under: Beautiful Holland, Bee, Biodiversity, Biodiversity and Interdependence, Botany, Business Cards, Dutch, Floral Composition, Flowers, Greeting Cards, Mindful Drawing, Mindful Drawing Products, Natural Flowers, Nature and Natural and Ecological, Paula Kuitenbrouwer, The Netherlands, Utrecht Tagged: მხატვრობის orchid (Ophrys apifera), គូរគំនូររបស់ orchid មួយ, एक आर्किड की चित्रकारी (Ophrys apifera), একটি অর্কিড এর পেন্টিং (Ophrys apifera), ஒரு ஆர்க்கிட் என்ற ஓவியம் (Ophrys apifera), ఒక ఆర్చిడ్ యొక్క పెయింటింగ్ (Ophrys apifera), ಒಂದು ಆರ್ಕಿಡ್ ಆಫ್ ಚಿತ್ರಕಲೆ (Ophrys apifera), ภาพวาดกล้วยไม้ (Ophrys apifera), ສີຂອງ orchid ເປັນ (Ophrys apifera), Bức tranh của một phong lan (Ophrys apifera), Bee Orchid, Bijen Orchidee, Bijen Orchis, Bir orkide Resim (Ophrys apifera), Bir orkide rəssamlıq (Ophrys apifera), Bojanje orhideje (Ophrys apifera), bugs (Neottia ovata), Боядисване на една орхидея (Ophrys apifera), Бојење орхидеја (Опхрис апифера), Живопис орхідеї (Ophrys apifera), Живопись орхидеи (Ophrys apifera), Жывапіс архідэі (Ophrys apifera), Epipactis, 난초 그림, 蘭の絵画（Ophrysのapifera）, Festmény egy orchidea (Ophrys apifera), Gemälde einer Orchidee (Ophrys apifera), Gevlekte orchis, Hoe teken je een orchidee?, How to draw an orchid?, Ζωγραφική της ορχιδέας (Ophrys apifera), Lukisan anggrek (Ophrys apifera), Lukisan saka suku anggrèk (Ophrys apifera), Maalaus orkidea (Ophrys apifera), Maleri af en orkidé (Ophrys apifera), Maleri av en orkidé (Ophrys apifera), Malowanie orchidei (Ophrys apifera), Málverk af Orchid (Ophrys apifera), Målning av en orkidé (Ophrys apifera), Neottia ovata, Obraz orchidea (Ophrys apifera), Obraz orchidej (Ophrys apifera), Ochideen, Ophrys, Ophrys apifera, Ophrys argolica, Ophrys insectifera, Ophrys sphegodes, Ophrys tenthredinifera, Orchid baten pintura (Ophrys apifera), Orchid in Acrylic, Orchidaceae, Orchideae, Orchidee met acrylic verf, Orchidinae Alliance, Orchidoideae, Pagpipinta ng isang orchid (Ophrys apifera), Painting of an orchid (Ophrys apifera), Painting sa usa ka Orchid (Ophrys apifera), Péinteáil de magairlín (Ophrys apifera), Peintio o tegeirian (Ophrys apifera), Peinture d'une orchidée (Ophrys apifera), Pentire nan yon Orchid, Pentrarto de orkideo (Ophrys apifera), Pictura de o orhidee (Ophrys apifera), Pictura ORCHIS (Ophrys apifera), Pikturë e një orkide (Ophrys apifera), Pintura d'una orquídia (Ophrys apifera), Pintura de uma orquídea (Ophrys apifera), Pintura de una orquídea (Ophrys apifera), Pintura dunha orquídea (Ophrys apifera), Schilderij van een orchidee (Ophrys apifera), Skildery van 'n orgidee (Ophrys apifera), Slika orhideje (Ophrys apifera), spiders (Ophrys sphegodes), Tekenen van ochideen, Tha xim ntawm ib orchid (Ophrys apifera), Translate from: English Pittura di un'orchidea (Ophrys apifera), نقاشی ارکیده (Ophrys apifera), Värvimine orhidee (Ophrys apifera), wasps (Epipactis & Ophrys tenthredinifera) and flies (Ophrys insectifera), געמעל פון אַ אָרכידייע (אָפריס אַפּיפעראַ), ציור של סחלב (דבורנית apifera), اللوحة من سحلية (Ophrys apifera), ایک آرکڈ کی پینٹنگ (Ophrys apifera)
