Nearly 28,000 species of orchid grow all around the world, bearing every imaginable color, shape and pattern. There's a cunning purpose behind these elaborate displays: many orchids trick insects into pollinating, sometimes even into having sex with them. How do they deploy these deceptive tactics? Anne Gaskett dives into the surprisingly complex ways orchids attract insects. [Directed by Mette Ilene Holmriis, narrated by Bethany Cutmore-Scott, music by Jarrett Farkas]. 

Anne Gaskett: The sexual deception of orchids

The sexual deception of orchids

Orchids allure insects with sexual deception, using sexy shapes and pheromones to mimic potential mates for pollination.

Orchids' sexual deception lures specific insects by mimicking mates through scent and appearance, enhancing pollination success.

The evolutionary arms race between orchids and their pollinators refines their mimicry, pushing boundaries of plant-insect interactions.