Another remarkable flower story.
There’s an orchid in Australia called a hammer orchid. Its survival is ultimately dependent upon an insect. That’s not an uncommon situation as many plants are pollinated by insects, and, in this way, dependent on them for reproductive success. What is unique, or at least very rare, is that the hammer orchid is pollinated by only one insect, the Thynnid Wasp.
More specifically, this orchid is only pollinated by the male Thynnid Wasp. This is the only insect physically capable of transferring pollen from anthers to styles. Without the Thynnid Wasp the hammer orchid species would not be able to reproduce its kind. What is the possible natural selection mechanism that would make reproduction and survival so dependent upon the male sex of a single other species? What if the wasps were wiped out by frost or blight? How does Darwin's survival of the fittest work in this case?
But, the story is even more entertaining. The wasp does not pollinate the orchid while simply gathering nectar. Pollination occurs while the wasp is having sex with the orchid. Seriously, the orchid attracts the male wasp because the orchid's appearance emulates the female wasp . . . not only emulates the female wasp, but emulates her in a copulatory position! I kid you not. The male wasp ‘sees’ the orchid as a female wasp in the 'proper' receptive position and pollinates 'her' while having sex, at least in his ‘mind’.
How can the natural selection process, whether it be an accident of genetic mutation or a response to environmental pressures, be held accountable for this unique relationship between plant and animal? What are the odds of such a mutation? What possible environmental pressures could come to bear such results?
It is unlikely science can honestly answer those questions. Science fails because science has not learned a way to look at consciousness. Science is so attached to the mind of mankind, it fails to look beyond it. To understand the orchid-wasp relationship, consciousness must be studied. Before it can be studied, the student must accept that the orchid and the wasp have consciousness. And that is a difficult task in our doctrine-oriented academia that elevates man to the highest standing among creatures. Yet, the orchid quite obviously ‘knows’ about a female wasp that has never left her hive. The orchid ‘knows’ enough to emulate her reproductive technique. The orchid has even timed its own pollination to coincide with the wasp's breeding period. And what of the wasp's consciousness of the orchid? That hasn't been explored either. Do you suppose the male wasp feels guilt for cheating on the queen of the hive?