Dendrobium spectabile flower visited by the large carpenter bee Xylocopa mordax

Because I live in the tropics, my orchid collection is all outside.  I live in the middle of an state forest which means that insects of all sorts are plentiful (this means the place is also infested with lots of spiders).  It is a common occurrence for orchids to be visited by insects.  However getting a photo of pollinators is not necessarily easy, as most visits are over in seconds.  I was lucky enough to catch this large carpenter bee in flagrante delicto.

Sobralia callosa, visited by a local carpenter bee Xylocopa mordax

Because I live in the middle of a forest, when my orchid bloom they are sometimes visited by local birds and insects in search of nectar or pollen.  It is rare that I have the opportunity to take a photo of these visits.  The bee dislodged the pollen from the flowers but didn't take it.  The capenter bees, such as the one in the photo are important pollinators in the forest.