Lesser Butterfly-orchid
Latin: Platanthera bifolia (Linné 1753)
Svenska: Nattviol
Deutsch: Zweiblättrige Waldhyazinthe
Nighttime visitors
At dusk near Midsummer, the lesser butterfly-orchid begins to release its scent. This orchid attracts hawk moths (Sphingidae), who drink nectar from the flowers. They fly like hummingbirds, not needing to land on the plant.
The lesser butterfly-orchid has its pollen collected in clumps. When a hawk moth sucks nectar from a flower with its long proboscis, the clumps of pollen attach to the moth's proboscis or to its eyes. When the moth then visits a new flower, the pollen clumps are pressed against the pistil and the flower is pollinated.
If you have a white sheet lit by a powerful lamp, preferably an UV lamp, you can attract hawk moths (and other moths) on warm summer nights. That's your chance to see a hawk moth with pollen clumps on its face!
You can find lesser butterfly-orchids in meadows and overgrown pastures throughout Uppland. Its numbers have declined in recent years.
The lesser butterfly-orchid blooms in June and July.
Photo: Wikipedia commons
Latest sightings of lesser butterfly-orchids in Uppland
NatureGate on the lesser butterfly-orchid
Wikipedia article on the lesser butterfly-orchid