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Tiny orchid flowers pollinated by tiny flies
- tomrod 3y agoPollination through (correct my term here!) symbiosis is so freaking cool. I wonder if these midges have hairs like bees so to help trap pollen?
- kuratkull 3y agoOrchid pollen is usually a clump with a sticky "tail" that sticks to pollinators.
- gradientsrneat 3y agoBased on the flower size and the images, I'd estimate the stalks of flowers in the image are about 4-5 cm in length. That's pretty small.
- hammock 3y agoMillimeters
- jbotz 3y agoThe first photo seems to have a ruler besides the flowers, with each line probably being a millimeter. The whole inflorescence (stalk) with hundreds of flowers would thus be a few centimeters in length.
- hammock 3y agohttps://andysorchids.com/images/species/7723lrg.jpg https://andysorchids.com/images/species/7723lrg.jpg
- grzeshru 3y agoThe older I get the less magic and more alien things appear. We live on an alien planet. This place is a bloody zoo.
- contingencies 3y agoUsed to be. Biodiversity in densely human-inhabited areas is ~zero. Apparently the best indicator of overall biodiversity is mycodiversity (ie. fungal diversity). The most varied areas are apparently those with extra moisture and a protected situation, often valleys with a non cardinal orientations and minimal human disturbance at the valley floor. If you want more diversity, actively seek out plants native to your area and plant more of them. Remove lawns, add decaying matter. You'll be surprised how quickly you can obtain impressive results. FWIW some of my teachers have discovered new orchid species and studied their pollination. It is very common in botany to have no idea what exactly pollinates a species. Ants, insects, birds and mammals are all potential pollinators.
- bwestergard 3y agoCould you say a bit more about what about this process is alienating to you?
- slim 3y agoyou suffer from alienation