what is this bird in my garden . . .

[Berni J]

Well I am going to guess Paul will get it perhaps  . . . Berni

A wonderful bird is the pelican;

His beak can hold more than his belican.

He can hold in his beak

Enough food for a week,

Though I’m damned if I know how the helican!

[Gene French]

That is the rare orchid bird...

Lol...

Beautiful things here...

Educate us paul...

Gene

[epicatt2]

On Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 5:14:00 PM UTC-4, Berni J wrote:

[orchid photo snipped]

Well I am going to guess Paul will get it perhaps  . . . Berni

Hey Berrni (& All),

Your photo of that orchid flower is of a Gongora species, but it don't know which one.  There are a dozen or so species of Gongora found in Costa Rica and to a non-taxomomist their flower shapes all seem quite similar to each other.

To add to the above confusion (mine mostly) each species of Gongora can have more than one color phase (variety).

Often different species of Gongora are all but indistinguishable to the layman's eye –and for some species the only apparent difference seems to be in the fragrance of the flowers (a very subtle difference which most likely will be indistinguishable to the lay nose, as well!).

But each species of Gongora is pollinated by male Euglossine bees (those bright blue or green metallic-colored ones) each of a different species, and each separate species of Gongora is visited by a specific species of (male Euglosine) bee.  They are attracted by the fragrance of the Gongora and never mistake the fragrance of one species of Gongora for that of a differenct species of Gongora!

Why are these bees doing this?  They are collecting the fragrance (extruded on the flowers' surfaces in oily or waxy form) and saving it in their leg pouches which they then later use as an attractant for the female bees (of their own species, of course). And collaterally, the Gongoras get pollinated by the bees' activity on the flowers.  Sneaky Gongoras!

So, Berni, your Gongoras are all pimps!  (And in this manner Gongoras all put that poetical pellican purely 'to pasture', so to speak!)

¡Pura Pornografía!

Paul M.

==

A wonderful bird is the pelican;

His beak can hold more than his belican.

He can hold in his beak

Enough food for a week,

Though I’m damned if I know how the helican!

==