Orchis militaris
 

The season for this gorgeous terrestrial orchid has started here in Switzerland :) (and also the season for ticks :(( I came back home with 3 of them on my legs - first time that I get them in Europe!!! :(()

Today, I went for a walk in "Petite Camargue Alsacienne" (France) Research Station Petite Camargue Alsacienne and found several groups of Orchis militaris blooming.

All these pictures are from different plants from the same population (note: it was the only orchid I could find in bloom there)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/...028ac6d082.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/...646bea90c8.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/...4d1ef0fd60.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3356/...7c52d1bf5f.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3546/...924dd0ee39.jpg

That's one of my favorites! I've only seen it once, during a hike around Chambéry in France. I've never had a chance to go back. Were there a lot of them in the area?

Oh by the way, we now have a forum dedicated to wild orchids!:) Maybe this thread should be moved there.

Camille, there were hundreds in the whole region... in thi sgroup, there were around 40-50 plants...

a forum for wild orchids? I did not see it...

WOW Ramon, those are beautiful and your pictures are wonderful.
Please be very careful of the ticks, I just had a very close call with Lymes.
Joann

Wow, incredible, very stunning. The detail on those little flowers is amazing!

Awesome, Ramon!

Kim

Hey Ramon,
These guys are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing them with us. :D

PS...it is the beginning of tick season here in south Florida as well. I found one crawling on me after my last trip into the Fakahatchee. :yikes:

Hey Ramon,

Great photos! Thanks for sharing this gem with us. What kind of environment did you find them in?

One of the things I like about this genus is the shape of the flowers. They look like little people hovering around the flowerstalk. :biggrin:

If you like the 'little people', have a look at Aceras anthropophorum (used to be Orchis, but it was given a genus of its own). In French we call it the hangman orchid. Looks pretty cool!