Cattleya cernua

Sophora is an orchid native to Brazil to northeastern Argentina. In nature, sophora are pollinated by hummingbirds, which are attracted to the warm color of the flowers. Orchids' cryptic pollen masses (large masses of pollen stuck together) provide an interesting adaptation for hummingbird pollination. Pollination occurs when sticky pollen clumps are deposited on the bird's beak. While most orchid pollen patches are yellow, the pollen patches of orchids pollinated by hummingbirds are darker. The bright yellow pollen creates a strong visual contrast with the color of the bird's beak, stimulating the bird to clean its beak. This behavior would be a reproductive disaster for the orchid. So, to avoid detection, half of the hummingbird-pollinated orchids have evolved dark pollen patches—blue, gray, or brown—that are closest to the dominant color of the beak and blend in more easily.