Guest testimonial, and Ophrys cretica ssp beloniae x Ophrys speculum hybrid, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Guest testimonial, and Ophrys cretica ssp beloniae x Ophrys regis-ferdinandii hybrid, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

If you’re thinking about a #RhodesOrchidOddity, we’ve just the tour for you - our #OrchidsOfRhodes tour is the ultimate exploration of Rhodes’ incredible array of orchid species, hybrids and variants. Our track record speaks for itself; guest testimonials speak volumes too. (1/2)

#orchids

Ophrys colossaea, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

It's #ThrowbackThursday to a week ago today, enjoying the first of the season's Ophrys colossaea on Rhodes with the @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes tour I was leading with my good pal @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social. We're both moving on to orchid-hunting pastures new this coming week...

Violet Limodore in woodland on the Greek island, Rhodes. Seen on Mariposa's Orchids of Rhodes tour.

My #woodlandplants for this week's #wildflowerhour are these stunning orchids - Violet Limodore.

Sadly, not a UK plant, but they really are too gorgeous not to share - look at them!! 😍

One of many fabulous plants seen with @mariposanature.bsky.social on their exceptional #OrchidsofRhodes tour.

A selection of orchid hybrids & colour varieties recorded during our Orchids of Rhodes tours in 2026, images © Jon Dunn

Today marks the conclusion of our #OrchidsOfRhodes tours for 2026. They've been a resounding success, with almost 60 species recorded, and some spectacular hybrids & colour varieties enjoyed.

The 2027 & 2028 tours are fully booked; so we've laid on a second week for 2028. (1/2)

Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys calypsus, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

A truly memorable day with my @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes guests and my close friend and co-leader @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social. The fine orchids kept coming thick and fast all day long. Tomorrow is bursting with further promise.

#orchids #bloomscrolling

8/4/26 #OrchidsOfRhodes - Reinhold's Bee #Orchid (Ophrys reinholdii) is an attractive species with plenty of variation to be seen across the multiple populations here on Rhodes. This lovely pale example, spotted by one of our guests yesterday, drew particular intrigue @mariposanature.bsky.social

8/4/26 #OrchidsOfRhodes - It's always a pleasure co-leading with @dunnjons.bsky.social. At our first site this morning we enjoyed several spikes of Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum) and this amazing Pink Conehead Mantis, Empusa pennata

Postcard from the field today from @dunnjons.bsky.social, leading our flagship #OrchidsOfRhodes tour with the brilliant @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social:

Today our guests saw 30+ species of orchid on Rhodes, and some very lovely colour forms and varieties too. We've a keen eye for detail in all things!

Ophrys candica, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys halia, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Beautiful Ophrys candica & Ophrys halia today within a few minutes of the lovely family-run hotel we always stay at during our #OrchidsOfRhodes tours. The welcome there is always warm, the food outstanding, and it's in the heart of orchid country. #bloomscrolling

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Ophrys attaviria, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys blitopertha, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Lovely views of Ophrys attaviria and Ophrys blitopertha, among others, as the species count for our #OrchidsOfRhodes tour passed 50 today, and we're only halfway through the week... It's not all about numbers, of course - we're all about quality as well as quantity!

#orchids

Postcard from the field, from tour leader @dunnjons.bsky.social on our #OrchidsOfRhodes tour:

New orchids continued to come thick and fast today, with new species for the week seen in good numbers, and some lovely hybrids too as an added bonus. Plenty more to come in the next four days...

Ophrys halia, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys x ionica (Ophrys ferrum-equinum x Ophrys mammosa), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

A wonderful day of orchid-hunting with my good friend @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social and our @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes group, filled with terrific finds: many Ophrys halia, and a couple of lovely, rare Ophrys x ionica hybrids particular personal highlights among many enjoyed by us all.

Ophrys cretica, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys cretica, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Tour update 🚨

Just two of the many faces Ophrys cretica presents here in the orchid wonderland that's the #OrchidsOfRhodes tour. Speaking of twos, two more places have been taken this evening on the second week we're running in March 2028. See you there! #bloomscrolling (1/2)🧵

5/4/26 #OrchidsofRhodes - We’ve filled our boots with a veritable bounty of outstanding #orchids today but my highlight was this pair of busy Eastern Festoon #butterflies. We don’t just do orchids y’know! @mariposanature.bsky.social

Ophrys cretica x Ophrys speculum hybrid, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys cretica x Ophrys regis-ferdinandii hybrid, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

In Rhodes on an orchid tour and your guides haven't shown you these achingly rare #orchid hybrids? You're not travelling with Team Mariposa on the ultimate #OrchidsOfRhodes tour. It's no wonder our tours here fill up 2 years in advance. Second week for 2028 now taking bookings...

Ophrys rhodia x umbilicata, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys rhodia chlorotic variation, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Welcome to Rhodes!

And how better to welcome our guests to the ultimate #OrchidsOfRhodes tour than a range of Ophrys rhodia varieties and hybrids today? Watch this space - the coming week promises to be extraordinary.

#orchids #bloomscrolling

Anacamptis coriophora, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys candica, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Yesterday was the final day of our latest #OrchidsOfRhodes tour, and we celebrated seeing 53 species and some truly amazing hybrids during the course of the week. What will we find during the coming week?

Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Loose-flowered Orchid (Anacamptis laxiflora), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Dense-flowered and Loose-flowered Orchid here in Rhodes in the past week. The #OrchidsOfRhodes have been particularly fine this year, and my @mariposanature.bsky.social guests have enjoyed seeing a wide range of genera and species.

#orchids #bloomscrolling

Ophrys lucis, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys lucis, the 'orchid of light' still in superb condition here on Rhodes yesterday. We've enjoyed shining a light on this, and over 50 further species of the #OrchidsOfRhodes, this past week with our guests. And still a day of this tour to go...

#orchids #bloomscrolling

Serapias carica with bee within the orchid's flower, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Serapias carica with bee emerged, four orchid pollinia attached to it, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Thrilled to show my @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes group masses of Serapias carica today, particularly when I found a flower with a bee tucked inside it. When it emerged, it had four orchid pollinia stuck to its head - a busy little bee indeed.

Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio ssp. caucasica), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Collage of Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacaea) and variations, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

A tale of two Anacamptis. While the green-wings have been feeble, the butterflies have been soaring on Rhodes this past fortnight.

Green-winged Orchid are frankly a bit underwhelming this year, but Pink Butterfly Orchid and its variations have been spectacular. #OrchidsOfRhodes

Ophrys mammosa, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys reinholdii, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys mammosa and Ophrys reinholdii both coming into their own, if a little soggy, yesterday after the preceding day's heavy rain here on Rhodes.

#orchids #OrchidsOfRhodes

Ophrys mammosa x reinholdii, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys halia, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Postcard from the field from tour leader @dunnjons.bsky.social leading our current #OrchidsOfRhodes tour:

It's been a productive day exploring the woodlands of the central spine of the island, with some excellent finds to be had, including a fine hybrid and a mighty Ophrys halia.

Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

If you're coming to Rhodes looking for orchids, and your guides tell you it's been a cool, wet spring and it's too early for Violet Limodore to be flowering... they're wrong. A lovely colony of this strangest of orchids seen yesterday by our #OrchidsOfRhodes group. 💜

#orchids #bloomscrolling

Ophrys calypsus, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys phryganae, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys sicula, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

A wet day here for my #OrchidsOfRhodes tour, but rare, golden variations of three orchid species brought the sunshine among 30 species seen during the course of the day. What a fabulous group of guests we have here! It's a joy sharing treasures with them.

Ophrys cretica hypochromic variation © Jon Dunn

Ophrys rhodia hypochromic variation © Jon Dunn

I'm normally no fan of a pale imitation of the real thing, especially on orchid tours, but in the case of these hypochromic Ophrys cretica and Ophrys rhodia we've found in the past 48 hours for our latest @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes guests, I can make an exception.

Ophrys lucis, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys cretica, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Yesterday was departures day for our Orchid Conservation Alliance guests, heading on to the World Orchid Conference after a week of fabulous #OrchidsOfRhodes. Hard to pick favourites, but Ophrys lucis and Ophrys cretica certainly didn't disappoint, providing thrills to the very last. #orchids

Ophrys korae, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Jewels in a crown of thorns... our final full day of our first #OrchidsOfRhodes tour this season has been studded with gems in dry phrygana habitat, and our final tally for the week is nudging 50 species, plus a plethora of hybrids and forms. It's been a joy from start to finish.

Ophrys blitopertha, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys lindia, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

A wonderful day for our guests in Rhodes today that combined culture in the beautiful historic town of Lindos, and some fine #orchids, including Ophrys blitopertha and eponymous Ophrys lindia. We're roaring through the forties for our species count for the week. #OrchidsOfRhodes

Ophrys oreas, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

Ophrys calypsus, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn

A superb day for our OCA #OrchidsOfRhodes group today, with a plethora of Ophrys bee orchids seeing our tally sail past 40 species. Ophrys oreas were a joy in pine woodlands, but Ophrys calypsus blew them away in the olive groves.