Anacamptis pyramidalis. Orchis pyramidal. Pyramidal orchid. The Pyramidal Orchid was moved from the genus Orchis to the genus Anacamptis in 1817. It has since been joined by other species that are morphologically quite different. It is genetic analyses that sometimes enlighten us on the relationships of different species and not always their similarities. Anacamptis pyramidalis is a species with a wide geographical presence and often has very high population densities. It is also, in the opinion of many observers, a species in full expansion. Little subject to variation apart from size (from 15 to 50 cm), its color can vary slightly from a light pink to almost vermilion red. A hypochromic (white) specimen can sometimes be found within a population. The flowering period can be all the wider as it is spread in a department with strong variations in altitude or exposure. It will be found from the end of April in the South until the end of June generally in the other departments. Click on the photos to enlarge

Traunsteinera globosa. Orchis globuleux. Globe orchid. This orchid has a marked preference for altitude! It can be found from 1000 m in the Alps and sometimes the Massif Central. Its distribution is European but covers the Alpine massif only. Unique in its genus in France, a second species is found in Turkey. A fairly tall plant (between 20 and 50 cm), it grows in meadows and will blend in from afar with other flowers with a large abundance and similar silhouette (the knautia in particular) and may therefore not be recognized even by an experienced orchidophile. Same general appearance, same height, same color, so you will have to be careful. The leaves have the same shade as the stem and are more or less sheathing, so sometimes not very visible in dense vegetation. The "ball" inflorescence with a high density of flowers deserves to be observed closely in order to admire their complexity. Click on the photos to enlarge

Gymnadenia conopsea. Orchis moucheron. Fragrant orchid. It is a common orchid in many departments where it is sometimes found in large colonies. The inflorescence is generally quite developed with many flowers. The plant is tall: from 20 to 60 cm. Gymnadenia have a reputation for developing a slight vanilla scent and this species will be no exception although sometimes the flowers can be odorless. There is another closely related species: Gymnadenia odoratissima which will be very difficult to differentiate apart from a more pronounced odor and a smaller size. In the field therefore, unless you have 2 populations to observe in parallel, naming one and the other will be impossible and can only be confirmed by a specialist. The other morphological differences are quite subtle and relate to the size of the flowers, the shape of the labellum in particular. The distribution area being included in that of G conopsea, this complicates the task even more. Click on the photos to enlarge

Découvrir Sites web orchidées de France et d'Europe. Discover orchids on the internet Discover the orchids of France and Europe through a selection of remarkable sites. Subscribe to the L'Orchidophile magazine from FFO (Fédération France Orchidées) available in paper version and all archive issues (243 issues at the end of 2024) are available online for subscribers: https://france-orchidees.org/produit/connexion-seul-tarif-membres-dassociations-francophones/ French websites http://orchideesdefrance.com/crbst_32.html Un inventaire très exhaustif des orchidées françaises. Mais l'entrée se fait avec le nom de l'espèce, il faut donc la connaître avant de découvrir les vues très variées qui l'illustrent. https://caladenia.net Découvrez sur ce site des orchidées d'Australie et autres orchidées exotiques mais surtout un remarquable travail de recensement des orchidées d'Ile de France et la Nièvre. Quel contraste entre la région densément peuplée qui borde Paris et la Nièvre (88 ème département dans le classement de population). On y trouvera pourtant de nombreuses espèces et on sera surpris de voir le nombre de communes qui en abritent ! https://www.elisajeanluc.fr/orchidees_nature/index.htm Superbe site qui propose de découvrir nombreux genres et espèces de France et d'Europe mais surtout documente avec de multiples vues de paysages et photos d'orchidées in situ les voyages des deux auteurs sur différents pays et continents. Foreign websites https://orchid.unibas.ch/index.php/en/ http://www.orchidsofbritainandeurope.co.uk/index.htm

Découvrez Ophrys arachnitiformis Ophrys en forme d'araignée sur Orchidée-photo.com Ophrys aurelia . Ophrys d'Aurélien. Bertoloni's bee orchid. (P. Delforge) Ophrys aurelia is very similar to Ophrys bertolonii , which is found in Italy where it was originally described. In France, this taxon is recognized as a local subspecies by some authors, or not at all by Kew Gardens. Its distribution area is therefore very variable. The species can be considered as a variety or a regional subspecies. There is a variety with smaller flowers: Ophrys saratoi . The plant is relatively pauciflorous, with flowers whose labellum is very dark brown to almost black, showing a “horse-saddle” curvature. A shiny macula starting from the middle of the labellum and occupying its lower part, along with very brightly colored petals and sepals, are remarkable characteristics. Click on the photos to enlarge

Herbaria and Old Illustrations: Before photography and why not today as an alternative, illustrations are the first tools of naturalists. You will find after my own photographs some old illustrations from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century. Among the oldest representations, it will sometimes be very complicated to recognize in these naive and approximate drawings for some, our orchids as we know them. It is unfortunately just as complicated to search in herbariums for a way to identify our discoveries. Among the significant works or the most representative illustrators of European terrestrial orchids, we can cite: - Franz Bauer (1758-1840). Austrian but worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew Garden. - Illustrated flora of Nice and the Maritime Alps (1868) by Jean Baptiste Barla (1817-1896). - Iconography of orchids of Europe and the Mediterranean basin (1929) by Edmond Camus (1852-1915). - Claus Caspari (1911-1980), German illustrator. - Jacobus Landwehr (1911-1996): Dutch author and illustrator of the 2-volume work Orchids of Europe (1977). - Eliza Klopfenstein (1921-2018): Belgian illustrator. Créer ses propres illustrations Quand on ne possède pas de talent pour le dessin ou la peinture, il existe des moyens modernes d'illustrer ses publications malgré tout. Dans quel intérêt ? L'illustration remplace avantageusement la photo lorsqu'elle permet de présenter une plante sous différents angles en créant un "bouquet" ou en présentant les différentes fleurs sur la tige avec un angle qui varie. Un illustrateur doué va synthétiser toutes les caractéristiques de l'espèce parfois avec une seule vue là ou le photographe aura besoin de nombreuses vues parfois. Présenter la plante en pied de façon dégagée alors qu'elle pousse dans un environnement chargé est aussi un plus pour l'identification. Il est aussi aisé de remplacer sur l'illustration des fleurs défraichies par une succession de fleurs toutes à leur optimum ! De nombreux softs existent depuis quelques années mais les résultats très formatés se contentent d'appliquer un effet sur votre photo avec un rendu parfois discutable. Les logiciels de création graphique se revendiquant de posséder une IA sont clairement les solutions d'avenir car ils recréent une vue en fonction d'un style que vous définissez : fournissez une vue avec le style souhaité puis votre photo à convertir et vous obtiendrez un résultat convaincant. Les meilleurs sont généralement payants, dans les versions gratuites attendez vous à des limitations : de temps, de nombre de vues possibles notamment mais heureusement le résultat est normalement identique en payant ou en gratuit. Vous trouverez à côté et plus bas quelques exemples réalisés avec un prompt (instructions pour l'IA) assez basique.

Dactylorhiza fuchsii. Orchis de Fuchs. Common spotted orchid. Some Dactylorhiza will be difficult to identify because each species varies and hybrids are common. In some regions, these hybrids are more numerous than the type species. Observing Dactylorhiza is proof that once again, some specialists tend to segment and name what are sometimes only varieties. Evolution is certainly underway, but it will not happen on the scale of current humanity. Patience! I will therefore only present a few species, those whose identification remains certain. Dactylorhiza fuchsii is a plant that likes many environments, dry or humid but rather on calcareous soil. The flowers are quite colorful but we will not trust the very variable designs, rather the cutting of the cut labellum which forms a pronounced point. Click on the photos to enlarge

Epipactis atrorubens. Epipactis pourpre. Dark red helleborine. Superb summer orchid with a generally very dark purple color. The floral elements of Epipactis are complex and sometimes very colorful. But the flowering of the majority of species is often late (from June to August) and for many species takes place in the undergrowth. They are therefore not very noticeable at this relatively late time. New species are discovered (or named) regularly in Europe. The genus Epipactis is also very widespread in the northern hemisphere. Species hybridize easily within the genus, which will sometimes complicate identification. For Epipactis atrorubens, no worries, the stem is generally tall and bears a cluster of many flowers ranging from slightly faded red to intense purple. The labellum is wrinkled as you will see in the photos. It can be seen on the edge of woods, along roadsides, on rather dry and calcareous ground. Widespread in France in the eastern half and the South (and very rarely in the West and the Center). In Epipactis, the labellum is divided into two parts: the hypochile, concave, contains more or less nectar, which gives it a shiny appearance, and the epichile, often pointed, sometimes folded, with a complex appearance, rarely smooth and covered with bumps, hollows or furrows that allow insects to cling while they draw nectar. Petals and sepals are generally of the same color, more or less greenish. The pollinia, once stuck on the head of the insect, slowly disintegrate, which allows several flowers to be fertilized. Click on the photos to enlarge

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Anacamptis sancta . Orchis saint. Holy orchid. (L.) Floraison 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Anacamptis sancta (Saint Orchid): The plant is of medium size (15-30 cm) and blooms from late April to late May. In Rhodes, it is found in phrygana near the coast and inland in olive groves or at their edges, as the soil is now regularly hoed, preventing orchids from establishing themselves. It is very difficult to find because the rosette dries up and disappears 3 to 4 weeks before flowering. Click on the photos to enlarge