Ophrys speculum Link 1799
Syn. Ophrys ciliata Bivona-Bernardi 1816
This impressive plant with its wild beauty is relatively widespread in the Mediterranean, from Portugal to Turkey and Lebanon. It blooms from late February to mid-May in sunny or semi-shaded areas, in poor soils, among scrub vegetation and brushwood, and mainly in coastal areas. (While absent from central and northern Italy, it is quite common in Corsica and Sicily).
The vivid blue of the lip seems to reflect the color of the Mediterranean Sea, hence the name of the species from the Latin word speculum = mirror.
It is pollinated exclusively by the male wasp Dasyscolia ciliata. Ophrys speculum mimics the appearance of the female, whose wings shimmer, reflecting the blue sky and emitting mating pheromones, deceiving the inexperienced male, which, in an attempt to mate with the flower, transfers its pollen and pollinates it.
In Kythira, it has not been mentioned by Rechinger in 1957 or by Delforges in 2010.
It was found a few days ago, on March 19 and 20, 2014, by Jan and Liesbeth Essink, experienced naturalists from the Netherlands with extensive knowledge of European orchids and eyebrows.Only three plants were found, two in the west and one in the center of the island. This is an extremely rare species in Kythira.
Most European terrestrial orchids are protected, but this particular species has not been classified according to the IUCN Red List criteria; however, it is included in Appendix II of CITES.
