About Ophrys sphegodes subsp. taurica (Aggeenko) Soó ex Niketic & Djordjevic
This taxon is a subspecies of orchid, Ophrys sphegodes subsp. taurica (Aggeenko) Soó ex Niketic & Djordjevic. Its plant height varies with latitude: the maximum height reaches around 20 cm (8 in) in the UK, while it can grow up to 70 cm (28 in) in regions around the Mediterranean. It flowers from March to May, with flowering shifted to April to May in northern latitudes. Each shoot produces between 2 and 18 flowers. The flowers have yellow-green sepals and a velvety red-brown labellum marked with a distinctive silvery-blue H shape, so the flowers strongly resemble an arthropod, particularly a spider. This taxon is similar to Ophrys fuciflora (late spider orchid) and Ophrys apifera (bee orchid), but differs in key traits: late spider orchid and bee orchid have much smaller petals than sepals, while in this early spider orchid, petals and sepals are similar in size. It can also be distinguished by the colour patches on the labellum: late spider orchid has a yellow point at the centre of the distal end of the labellum, while bee orchid has a red patch at the proximal end of the labellum. This subspecies grows in unimproved alkaline meadows, woodland edges, slopes, banks and waste land. It is widespread across most of Europe and the Middle East, ranging from Britain south to Portugal and east to Iran. In Britain, it is restricted to parts of Dorset, Hampshire, Kent and Sussex, and is considered rare. However, where it occurs, it can grow in stands containing many hundreds of individual plants. It is classified as a British Red Data Book plant. Despite its apparent vulnerability, it has successfully colonised the chalk spoil dumping grounds at Samphire Hoe near Dover, created from excavations for the Channel Tunnel. As of 2018, the IUCN lists the conservation status of this species as least concern worldwide. In the UK, Ophrys sphegodes is pollinated by Andrena nigroaenea, the miner bee, a polylectic pollinator that visits many different flower species. This bee requires dry sandy soils. Different subspecies of Ophrys sphegodes have evolved to attract different pollinators. This orchid species can form symbiotic relationships with a wide range of mycorrhizal fungi species.
