Thursday, July 10, 2008

Calopogon tuberosus

Just for fun. Calopogon or Grass Pink is the only orchid in the
Chicago Region that carries the lip at the top (the flower lacks
resupination). Those are not stamens up there - just decorative hairs
that fool bees! (Calopogon = "beautiful beard"). When a bee lands, the
lip bends down and the back side of the bee touches the column, where
a sticky mass of pollen is attached (or hopefully, detached).

KB

3 comments:

Scott Namestnik said...

From now on, I'm calling Keith "Calopogon," for his beautiful beard.

Amazing photos, by the way. Can't wait for the slide show.

Justin R. Thomas said...

The beauty of Keith's beard is only surpassed by that of Chuck Norris'.

Keith Board said...

...and Rasputin.