Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera)

This afternoon, James and I set out on a bike ride. The weather was decidedly suspect when we set off, but we thought we would risk it , nevertheless. Half an hour later and four miles from home we found ourselves being invited to sit in a carwash to keep dry. I know that is counter-intuitive, but the carwash attendants had no customers and could see we were bedraggled so they invited us under cover and even found us some plastic chairs to sit on and watch the rain. The sun came out after the squall and we decided to keep calm and carry on.
We were heading for Rammy Marsh, a site just inside the M25 at Waltham Abbey, Herts (see the map for an accurate location). It would be my fourth excursion to look for the bee orchid that the marsh is particularly noted for. A short recce of the site resulted in us spotting a single flower - possibly the first one of the stand to emerge. What a beauty!
The spike of this orchid was about 20 centimetres tall and the flower about 3cm across. The plant is supposed to bloom from mid-April to July, so they are late this year what with the cold spring. The spike is composed of one to twelve flowers, which are self pollinating and resemble the hairy abdomen of a bee.
See James' shot here