Vorige Art/previous species (Left arrowball from Animation City)   Ophrys araneola   Nächste Art/next species (Right arrowball from Animation City)

Ophrys araneola has been described in 1831 by REICHENBACH from Wallis in Switzerland. Its distribution in the Mediterranean is only insufficiently known because it has often been confused with similar species. In the north Ophrys araneola reaches Germany and Belgium. Ophrys araneola is one of the first orchids, which are in flower in spring. Pollinators are bees of the Andrena cf. lathyri group.

The right of the two images which have been taken in the Gâtinais region south of Paris shows a clan which is about two weeks earlier in flower than the usual araneola there. An article in L'Orchidophile 31 (No.140) has been reported about this clan, which is known from few sites in the Gâtinais and the neighbouring departement Essonne. At the site which I know in the Gâtinais, there is also Ophrys sphegodes available beneath this clan and usual araneola, sphegodes is still somewhat later in flower than the two others.

Click for bigger images Click for bigger images
Ophrys araneola
left:   F Dept. Drome Beauregard-Baret 4.5.04
right: F Dept. Drome 13.4.04 		Click for bigger images Click for bigger images
Ophrys araneola
left:   F Montagne du Luberon 29.3.02
right: F Massif de l'Estaque 11.3.01 		Click for bigger images Click for bigger images
Ophrys araneola
left:   F Blausasc 27.4.02
right: F Montagne de la Clape 13.4.01
 
Click for bigger images Click for bigger images
Ophrys araneola
left:   F Avignon 13.4.04
right: F Alsace 7.5.03 		Click for bigger images Click for bigger images
Ophrys araneola
left:   F Gātinais 13.4.02
right: F Gātinais 31.3.03
  
 
left arrowball, from Animation City       Start page       Restore frame set       right arrowball, from Animation City Rev: 3-Feb-2005