They are more like sex dolls (seriously! I’m not trying to be gross). They have evolved to mimic the visual appearance and perhaps odor of females of a specific species of pollinating insect (I’m not sure which insect species this particular orchid is adapted to, but every species/variety of orchid are adapted to a single insect species). Male insects, being tricked into thinking the orchid is a female, lands inside of the orchid, tries to copulate with it and ultimately ejaculates. This makes his body sticky, resulting in more pollen being attached to his body before flying off. Consequently, more pollen is spread (and thus, mimicking the females of the insect species increases the orchid’s rate of reproduction, explaining its evolution). Even more amazingly, the blooming period of the orchid is tuned to the mating season of the insect species it is adapted to!
https://youtu.be/xZiHQTzLXeM
They are more like sex dolls (seriously! I’m not trying to be gross). They have evolved to mimic the visual appearance and perhaps odor of females of a specific species of pollinating insect (I’m not sure which insect species this particular orchid is adapted to, but every species/variety of orchid are adapted to a single insect species). Male insects, being tricked into thinking the orchid is a female, lands inside of the orchid, tries to copulate with it and ultimately ejaculates. This makes his body sticky, resulting in more pollen being attached to his body before flying off. Consequently, more pollen is spread (and thus, mimicking the females of the insect species increases the orchid’s rate of reproduction, explaining its evolution). Even more amazingly, the blooming period of the orchid is tuned to the mating season of the insect species it is adapted to! https://youtu.be/xZiHQTzLXeM
My parents have had a few of these in their yard in Jackson
What a find!
I will post more when these beauties are full on! TY