Orchids

The Orchids of Lesvos make for a great distraction for the birdwatcher, especially during the middle of the day if it’s hot, and a fantastic holiday for the botanist.

There a number of particularly beautiful flowers on the island, including the very rare Himantoglossum comperianum (Komper’s Orchid), although our particular favourite is Platanthera holmboei (Holmboei’s Butterfly Orchid)

We’d strongly advise a copy of either “Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East” by Pierre Delforge or “Field Guide to Orchids of Britain and Europe” by Karl Peter Buttler, also “The Bee Orchids of Greece” by Zissis Antonopoulos is excellent.

However, it’s great fun finding them all, and for those like us, more fun trying to separate some of the species, especially the Ophrys family!
Our advice is unless you’re absolutely sure of at you’re looking, take a photo just in case!

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