Fly Orchid Ophrys insectifera
The Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera) is one of Britain’s most extraordinary wildflowers, its flowers mimicking a female digger wasp to achieve pollination through sexual deception. It is a plant of calcareous grassland, scrub edges, and open woodland on chalk and limestone, and has declined across much of England. In Suffolk, it is associated with the chalk grassland, railway banks, and woodland rides of the boulder clay and chalk areas in the west of the county. It is a localised and often overlooked species, and careful habitat management – preventing scrub encroachment and maintaining open, calcareous conditions – is essential. Image: © Stuart Read, Flickr.
Find out more: iNaturalist, Plantlife, Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora
Suffolk’s Priority Fern and Flowering Plant Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
