Orphrys sphegodes

Corrected from a misspelling ("Orphrys"), Ophrys sphegodes, the early spider-orchid, is a tuberous terrestrial orchid native to Europe and the Middle East, growing on calcareous soils in impoverished grassland and semi-shaded woodland edges, from southern England to the Mediterranean and the Aegean. A basal leaf rosette precedes a flowering stem bearing 2 to 12 flowers, around 20 cm tall (up to 70 cm depending on origin). The sepals and petals are greenish-yellow, sometimes marked with reddish-brown, while the dark reddish-brown, velvety lip bears a characteristic H-shaped speculum mimicking the pollinating insect it attracts by pseudocopulation. It flowers early, in spring.