Jim Fowler's photos with the keyword: Orchid Pollination

Bombus species (Bumble Bee) pollinating Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Ladies'-tresses orchid)

Bombus species (Bumble Bee) pollinating Spiranthes…

Jim Fowler
09 Oct 2013 120
A day trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. I was lucky enough to find a nice bed of Spiranthes cernua beside the road. So, I stopped to photograph it and was soon joined by a Bee and a Butterfly. What a great day... This Bumble Bee already has a load of pollinia on its proboscis before entering the orchid flower.
Backing out -- Bombus species (Bumble Bee) pollinating Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Ladies'-tresses orchid)

Backing out -- Bombus species (Bumble Bee) pollina…

Jim Fowler
09 Oct 2013 164
A day trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. I was lucky enough to find a nice bed of Spiranthes cernua beside the road. So, I stopped to photograph it and was soon joined by a Bee and a Butterfly. What a great day... This Bumble Bee already has a load of pollinia on its proboscis before entering the orchid flower. Once it backed out, I could tell that the load of pollinia irritated the bee, because it immediately flew to the ground where it used its front legs to furiously brush off the pollinia. Then, it flew right back onto the inflorescence where it soon became loaded with more pollinia. Neat thing to witness...
Going in -- Bombus species (Bumble Bee) pollinating Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Ladies'-tresses orchid)

Going in -- Bombus species (Bumble Bee) pollinatin…

Jim Fowler
09 Oct 2013 150
A day trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. I was lucky enough to find a nice bed of Spiranthes cernua beside the road. So, I stopped to photograph it and was soon joined by a Bee and a Butterfly. What a great day... This Bumble Bee already has a load of pollinia on its proboscis before entering the orchid flower.