Early-purple Orchids with pollinating Common Carder Bee on Wolstonbury Hill, West Sussex today.

 An overcast morning with spits of rain and a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius at the foot of the hill was unfavourable for insects.

Common Twayblades

On this orchid a Common Carder Bee was comatose: alive but hardly responsive.

 Its sleepy state enabled these close-up photo's of its head with orchid pollinia (pollen bearing packets) stuck to it.

Click on any picture to expand it.
See also http://www.peterlovetttalks.co.uk/orchids.html
And my talk on bees at http://www.peterlovetttalks.co.uk/page15.html