Thursday 7th April 2022

Day 6 of the trip.

There was discussion this morning on how many orchid species we have actually seen, it is possibly either 39 or 40. Which is quite amazing, really.

And there was the promise of yet more species through the day.

I was up at six, and after a shower, I went for a walk to the coffee shop for a double Greek coffee and one of the small sesame seed coated baguettes they sell, which I ate in the French way, dipping mouthfulls in the coffee.

Yummy.

I walked back to the hotel, with the sound of a Hoopoe echoing around the village, though I never got a look at the bird, I do know its call.

ack at the hotel I had second breakfast of Greek yogurt, fruit and a slice of cake, and yet more coffee. I felt I could take on anything.

So, at nine we loaded up the busses and headed to the wooded hill in the centre of the island where we got out and straight away were shown the first rarity of the day, a Milky Orchid, which is a small understated orchid.

We took turns to photograph it, then moved on up the slope where we found the next rarity, Neotinea maculata, known as the Dense Flowered Orchid, which is found in some places back home, but not kent. It is a cousin of the Milky, but looks very different. Just a handful of these tiny orchids were found, some more delicate than others.

Over the hill and down a slope came the only disappointment, just unopnened spikes of the very rare Limodorum abortivum, a half dowzen round the foot of a fir tree. We hope to return on the way to the airport.

We walked back to the car, and drove a short distance where at a rocky outcrop we found smaller Milky Orchids, missed by the herds of feral goats.

We moved on.

To a dry site next, where we had hoped to find a coterie of spikes, but found just one impressive Ophrys Mammata, which we all snapped anyway.

We had lunch, and as well as the usual rolls, we had pastries and stuffed vine leaves cooked by the mother-in-law of the owner of the tour company.

Along a river valley, we stopped to see the largest colony of Orchis italica on the island. We took our time to record those, and with that came the realisation that we were running out of orchids.

Our last scheduled stop of the day was beside the only large lake in the island for some general botany, which I sat out, as the conditions were arid to say the least, but the botanists were happy enough.

Our last call was thanks to to a tip off to see the few Anacamptis laxiflora. So beside a road, we saw a single photographer in the reserve, snapping. So, imagine his surprise as 12 people joined him to see the fine and rare orchids,

And that was that.

We took and hour to get bakc to the hotel, where we retired to the bar for a beer and a chat, before the serious matter of dinner.

Dinner was chicken and peas, a simple but heary meal, which I drank with some red wine.

And just like that, we have just one day left....