Ophrys mammosa (sensu lato), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Next in my #CountdownToRhodes is a fun orchid. It's Ophrys mammosa - or is it? Some taxonomists contend that the 'mammosa' on Rhodes are another taxon, Ophrys monolitha. But this one looks rather more like Ophrys ciliciana of Türkiye. I've seen a few #OrchidsOfRhodes like this...
#orchids
Ophrys cretica ssp. beloniae, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Ophrys cretica ssp. beloniae, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Today's dose of orchid #bloomscrolling in my #CountdownToRhodes features the beloniae subspecies of Ophrys cretica, a strikingly-marked bee orchid with the impact of a punch and the colours of a bruise. It's a knockout example of the spectacular @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes.
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea) hyperchromic, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea) var. alba, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Another of my favourite #OrchidsOfRhodes is Pink Butterfly Orchid, an #orchid I see plenty of every spring there.
It comes in a lovely range of intensities of colour, from pure white to deep purple, and many shades of pink. A #bloomscrolling delight, always.
#CountdownToRhodes #naturephotography
Neotinea lactea, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Next in my #CountdownToRhodes is a cool beauty and a favourite of mine, Neotinea lactea. It's an orchid with two distinct characters - one enjoys the lush dampness of woodland meadows, the other endures drier, stony hillsides. All are beautiful.
#bloomscrolling #OrchidsOfRhodes
Ophrys lucis, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Several orchid talks and events attended over the winter, and more to come, have been a great opportunity to shed some light on the abundant duplicity to be found on Rhodes. Ophrys orchids are particularly guilty too, deceiving pollinators with a variety of ruses.
#CountdownToRhodes #bloomscrolling
King Ferdinand's Orchid (Ophrys regis-ferdinandii), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Today seems like the day to share an ugly royal in my #CountdownToRhodes - King Ferdinand's Orchid is, with the best will in the world, not the most attractive of Ophrys bee #orchids. Still, apart from spawning the occasional hybrid, it's not implicated in any serious wrongdoing...
Ophrys colossaea, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
A big, bright sunny splash of #bloomscrolling joy today for my #CountdownToRhodes in the run up to the imminent @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes tours.
It's the Colossus of Rhodes, Ophrys colossaea, an absolute *unit* of an #orchid. Proportionately big love felt for it, too.
Ophrys halia, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Ophrys halia, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Next in my #CountdownToRhodes is Ophrys halia - rather a variable Ophrys bee #orchid, and it's proven a trap for the unwary in the past...
I'm a big fan of this species - it's comparatively scarce on Rhodes, and invariably attractive whatever form it takes.
#OrchidsOfRhodes #BloomScrolling
Ophrys lindia, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Lindos, a small, white-washed town on the coast of Rhodes, Greece, dominated by the acropolis that sits atop the seaward headland behind which the town nestles
My #CountdownToRhodes continues, leading up to my @mariposanature.bsky.social orchid tours there. Time for more daily #bloomscrolling to brighten the last days of winter!
Here's Ophrys lindia, named after Greek goddess Athena Lindia, venerated in the town of Lindos on Rhodes. #OrchidsofRhodes
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea) with a pollinating bee, the orchid's pollinia adhering to the bee's head, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
My #CountdownToRhodes begins here - daily doses of bright wildflower cheer in the days before the @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes season, replacing the murk of this long, wet winter with some joyous #bloomscrolling on your timelines. Here's Pink Butterfly Orchid - and a pollinating bee.
