Some flowers go to extraordinary lengths to attract pollinators. Bee orchids mimic the shape and scent of bees in order to lure them into ‘pseudocopulation’, where the male insect attempts to mate ...

In this process (known as ‘pseudocopulation’), the bee pollinates the plant. Away from southern cliffs, the first flowering orchid of the year is usually the early purple orchid. Its spires of blooms ...