Exotic Plants that Look Like Animals – The Balancing Beauty of Mother Nature

Nature is filled with surprises. Always unpredictable, Mother Nature is a striking combination of fury and fragility. On one hand, it is fierce with all the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, etc. And on the other hand, it has countless beautiful flora and fauna hidden in her arms.

The excellent beauty of Mother Nature can be seen in some exotic flowers that are found in such beautiful places.

Ophrys apifera – the bee orchid: It is found in Europe and Western Asia, it is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Orchidaceae family. It is usually around a foot tall and gets its name – bee orchid – from a lip that mimics a bee. There are three lobes on a female bee that have silky hairs. Its color is dark brown and has some spots of the same tone, but lighter, and white and yellow lines.

Anigozanthos manglesii – looks like kangaroo paw: A kangaroo paw is a group of 12 species of perennial plants producing multiple red and green velvety flowers from late winter through spring. The clusters of flowers resemble the paws of certain famous marsupials. The flowers have bright red and green colors. This plant can only be found in the southern areas of Western Australia.

Psychotria Elata – known as ‘Hooker’s lips’: It is known as Hooker’s Lips or the Hot Lips Plants. It is found in the rain forests of Central and South American countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador.

The flower’s shape resembles a kiss and it is in bright red color which attracts pollinating insects, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It is a flower native to tropical forests and is also known as the Hot Flower Kiss.

Impatiens psittacina – the parrot flower: It is found in Asian countries like Thailand, Burma, and India. It looks like a parrot and is called a parrot flower which grows up to 50 centimeters. It had three petals and three sepals and a very distinctive group of plants. The flower is pale purple and carmine red in color, which is shaped like a flying parrot when viewed from the side.

Peristeria elata – the flower of the Holy Spirit: It is typically found in Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. It is a thick, waxy, and long-lasting orchid that looks like a dove, known as orchid-dove or the flower of the Holy Spirit. It is at a high rate of extinction due to the illegal trade in exotic plant species and deforestation.

Pecteilis radiate – the white egret flower: They are best known as orchids of Japan, where it is also called ‘Sagiso’. This flower is basically found in China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. It has a distinguishing white color and shape. The lateral lobes of the lip resemble a heron and its petals look similar to the wings of a bird. The mountain areas with an altitude of about 1500 meters are the natural habitat of this flower.

Ophrys insectifera – the fly orchid: Just like the bee orchid, the fly orchid relies on insects for pollination and it is very easy to identify. The insects mistakenly try to mate with it because of its striking resemblance. It attracts male wasps and bees, producing a scent that mimics female sex pheromones, while the flower itself looks like a fly.