Calypso Orchid, Calypso Bulbosa

Day 214: I can always count on Arnie to provide me with reading material on the subject of plants. He's very good at finding snippets of information in research papers I can't access, and comes up with answers (or theories, as the case may be) when I question him about a plant's individual ecology. He also occasionally forwards things he thinks might interest me (they always do), and this morning's contribution was timely. It covered an interesting aspect of Calypso bulbosa, and fits right in with the photo I had planned to use as the basis for today's post.

This lovely little plant is native to the area, although it isn't abundant by any means. It is pollinated by bumblebees, and it goes a long way to attract them. It does so by deceiving them, pretending to offer prizes it does not deliver. Its scent draws bumbles to it, and the hairs on its lower lip mimic easily accessible anthers. It also displays false "nectar spurs" (not visible in this photo). A bee, visiting the flower for the first time, winds up going away disappointed, then landing on another  Calypso where it again receives no reward. The Calypso has the advantage of the bee's unwitting cross-pollination service, but not for long. The trick only works until the bees wise up to it, i.e., it's only effective with newly emerged, uneducated bees. Botanists refer to this tactic as "cross-pollination by deception," and Calypso has it down to a science, little liar that she is.