Cattleya Cool

Cattleya cool.

Focus stacked in Affinity Photo 2 from 70 pictures, my iPad audibly groaned as it slowly crunched the files. The final picture emerging from a processing gloom was more impressive than the final effect.

The male and female parts are housed in a beautifully streamlined structure typical of orchids, the tower. Small bees crawl along the coloured lip and squeeze through the narrow gap below the tower. They have been in structures like this before and expect to find nectar; they just need to hold their nerve.

The eager little bees push the tower up as they squeeze through the gap. Pollen, carried on the bee’s thorax becomes attached to the stigmatic surface on the way in. Reversing out, bees knock the pollen cap protecting the pollinia clean off and leave with a fresh load of pollen. That is another story.

The smooth stigmatic surface is visible, hidden behind the anther cap, at the rear of the tiny cave. Its a tight squeeze.