The Bee Orchid by Jim Northover
As the angler tempts the Trout
with crafted feathers
to dapple and dangle on the water
As the Dunnock sings full strength
his liquid song
to seek unmated mates
So the Bee Orchid…
makes an artful deception:
the round seductive form
a clear signal in the grass,
deep browns and soft yellows
pale mauve wings directing the way.
What does the male bee sense -
colour, pattern, rhythm, scent -
an open invitation to sex?
He responds, as males do,
instinctively driven by desire
to land and make his mark
Now confused by unrequited passion
he drones off, taking only
collected grains of soft pollen
His role unwitting
as yet another flower
waits to receive him.
But the Bee Orchid…
no longer depends on intervention
but evolves a new perfection:
a lone and secret transfer
of pollen from anther to stigma
to make, and mate again.
