Time for another short mountain break. I just can’t give up on those orchids, and now it should be the high season for them. The summer is putting on the heat and the mosquitos, gnats and other flying nuisances are out in their force so you don’t really get a moment’s peace to when you stop to photograph, but everything can be endured for those precious pictures.The world of orchids is exciting for sure. Determining the species is not nearly as easy as it flower ID is in general (not that flower ID in general is easy for me). There are so many subspecies that many of them are not listed in my flora bible, which results in different looking orchids being classed as one and the same in my catalogue. Anyway, as soon as I find an orchid which is NOT the most common form of Dactylorhiza maculata, I’m happy!

Take this one for example. I honestly can’t find a confirmed ID for it. It has spots on the leaves, but not on the underside – that makes it a heath spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata). The individual blooms on the other hand are most definitely not that – they resemble the early marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata). But Dactylorhiza incarnata doesn’t have any spots on the leaves – unless it’s a Dactylorhiza incarnata cruenta, in which case it has spots on both sides of the leaves… I’m confused! We always found this orchid growing in the same places as Gymnadenia conopsea and Dactylorhiza incarnata cruenta, and Dactylorhiza maculata of course.

The orchid hunt goes on…