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Focus on the Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera L. ),
a protected species in the Loiret region

The species is characterised by the brown and white superior petal of its corolla, which is quadri-lobed, slightly velvety, and topped with two, small ‘antennas’ reflecting the shape of an insect, hence its name.

Its flower has no spur, and its 20 to 60-centimetre stem is erect, glabrous, and spindly. It grows from the end of April in sparse woods, bushes, on the edge of forests, paths, roads, and calcareous lawns, at altitudes of up to 1,500 metres.

Fly Orchids grow just about everywhere in France, although they are rare in the Mediterranean region, and do not grow in Brittany and Corsica.

It is a protected species in the following regions: Auvergne, Nord Pas-de-Calais, and the Pays de Loire.