20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Lurking in the Dark

This beautiful white, delicate orchid, called Platanthera bifolia, usually grows hidden in forests or forest margins, away from the sunlight. The flowers resemble white butterflies, with their wings spread, ready to take flight. The most spectacular feature of this orchid is its exceptionally elongated, slender spur, which gives the orchid a refined, graceful and elegant aspect. The spur is half full with nectar, attracting many species of pollinators such as butterflies, crepuscular and nocturnal moths and, rarely, visitors like some species of forest flies and solitary bees (Orchids of Romania, by Nora De Angelli & Dan Anghelescu, 2020).

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Sinaia, Romania
Copyright: © Nora De Angelli