Process

• Pollination is the method by which plants reproduce. The same characteristics that make orchids attractive to gardeners aid them in pollination. Orchids display bright colors and bold scents that attract birds and insects, which are integral in the pollination process. Male flowers produce pollen, which is carried to female flowers. Once the pollen enters the female orchid's reproductive organs, pollination has occurred. The flower then creates seeds and reproduces itself.
  
  

Insects

• Almost any insect is capable of picking up pollen (which they do incidentally, not by design), and transferring it to a different flower, but only certain insects are drawn to orchids. Dun skippers, wasps, bumblebees, mosquitoes and flies are among the insects which are necessary to pollinate orchids. Approximately one-third of the orchid species in existence are pollinated through insects.
  
  

Self-Pollination

• Some orchid species will become pollinated even without the aid of insects. Self-pollinating orchids include lady's slipper (Cypripedium passerinum), widelip orchid (Liparis loeselii), coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida) and Huron green orchid (Platanthera huronensis). Self-pollinating orchids do not need insects in order to reproduce, but they do need weather. Wind and rain transfer pollen from flower to flower among self-pollinating orchids to start the pollination process.
  
  

Pollination Tips

• Orchid plants that self-pollinate may produce only male flowers, female flowers or both. When both sexes are present on the same plant, it's not necessary to plant several orchid plants to ensure pollination. Other types of self-pollinating orchids, however, produce only males or females, and may not be planted alone if pollination is to occur.