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Dactylorhiza incarnata. Orchis incarnat. Early marsh orchid. Some Dactylorhiza will give you a hard time in terms of their identification because each species varies and hybrids are frequent. In some regions, these hybrids would be more numerous than the type species. Observing the Dactylorhiza is the demonstration that once again, some specialists tend to segment and name what are sometimes only varieties. Evolution is certainly underway but it will not happen on the scale of current humanity. Patience! I will therefore only present a few species, those whose identification remains certain. Dactylorhiza incarnata is a plant that can be found on humid and rather alkaline substrates. The flowers are quite colorful but do not trust the very variable patterns. The labellum is narrow, a little folded which gives it an elongated shape. Click on the photos to enlarge

Epipactis muelleri. Epipactis de Müller. Mueller's helleborine. The flower is typical of Epipactis in its shape with petals and sepals of the same whitish/greenish colour. The hypochile is dark brown in colour. Like all Epipactis, it flowers in June/July in semi-shade. It can also be found on the side of the road at high altitudes. In Epipactis, the labellum is divided into two parts: the hypochile, concave, contains more or less nectar, which gives it a shiny appearance, and the epichile, often pointed, sometimes folded, with a complex appearance, rarely smooth and covered with bumps, hollows or furrows that allow insects to cling while they draw nectar. Petals and sepals are generally of the same color, more or less greenish. The pollinia, once stuck on the head of the insect, slowly disintegrate, which allows several flowers to be fertilized. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys sphegodes/aranifera. Ophrys araignée. Early spider orchid An orchid that is not very visible like most Ophrys whose flowers are not very colorful. Measuring between 10 and 40 cm and growing on calcareous soils: wastelands, verges. The design on the labellum is very variable and the normally green sepals and petals can be slightly colored yellow or pink. The labellum is rather elongated and the appendage is barely visible because it is curved backwards. The basal field is concolorous to the labellum but often lighter. The macular pattern is H-shaped, more or less blended into the entire macule. This H is sometimes very clearly edged with white. The pseudo-eyes are quite large and bright. There is a thin yellow margin around the labellum but often barely visible because of its convexity. Gibbosities are sometimes visible but not very marked and not at all or weakly pointed. It is found in many French departments but mainly in the west of the country and not at high altitudes. Other close species take its place in other departments where it would be rarer. One can legitimately wonder if so many species are not duplicates, the differences are sometimes subtle especially if we consider that the variations exist elsewhere within a population of the same station. All these species were named at a time when communication between scientists was not as developed and it seems difficult even today to find a consensus. At the same time as the author writes this, he is pilloried by a certain number of regional observers who could read these lines and who will refuse to admit that their local "species" does not have its identity or is just a synonym. Its name is still debated and we seem to agree on Ophrys sphegodes but we will find many documents or works with Ophrys aranifera. It is a relatively early orchid and can be observed between March and May. Click on the photos to enlarge

Cephalanthera longifolia. Cephalanthère à longues feuilles. Sword leaved helleborine. Cephalanthera are generally light undergrowth orchids. The flowers open little. To distinguish the 3 species, it is quite simple: the red cephalanthera has pink flowers, the long-leaved cephalanthera has leaves that start from the base of the plant and form upright swords, the large-flowered cephalanthera has rounder leaves on the entire stem. Click on the photos to enlarge

Epipactis atrorubens. Epipactis pourpre. Dark red helleborine. Superb summer orchid with a generally very dark purple color. The floral elements of Epipactis are complex and sometimes very colorful. But the flowering of the majority of species is often late (from June to August) and for many species takes place in the undergrowth. They are therefore not very noticeable at this relatively late time. New species are discovered (or named) regularly in Europe. The genus Epipactis is also very widespread in the northern hemisphere. Species hybridize easily within the genus, which will sometimes complicate identification. For Epipactis atrorubens, no worries, the stem is generally tall and bears a cluster of many flowers ranging from slightly faded red to intense purple. The labellum is wrinkled as you will see in the photos. It can be seen on the edge of woods, along roadsides, on rather dry and calcareous ground. Widespread in France in the eastern half and the South (and very rarely in the West and the Center). In Epipactis, the labellum is divided into two parts: the hypochile, concave, contains more or less nectar, which gives it a shiny appearance, and the epichile, often pointed, sometimes folded, with a complex appearance, rarely smooth and covered with bumps, hollows or furrows that allow insects to cling while they draw nectar. Petals and sepals are generally of the same color, more or less greenish. The pollinia, once stuck on the head of the insect, slowly disintegrate, which allows several flowers to be fertilized. Click on the photos to enlarge

Himantoglossum robertianum. Orchis géant. Giant orchid. The orchid is Mediterranean but tends to extend its territory towards the North and the West. It requires both climatic conditions for an orchid to progress territorially but also pollinators. There is speculation about its expansion: seeds carried by the winds, birds, vehicle wheels... It is even reported now in the Netherlands! Easy to identify because of its color and sometimes its imposing size (but often of modest size: about 15/30 cm), you will sometimes see it at the side of the road on the embankments. It gives off a delicate smell of lily or hyacinth (in my opinion...). Its seasonality is also strange because for almost all orchids, flowering moves from the South to the North over the weeks of spring, but we find it flowering from the month of February in certain stations in France and still in April in some of the Mediterranean islands further south! We can even find Himantoglossum hircinum and Himantoglossum robertianum, both in flower on 15/04, on the Villefranche sur Saône motorway service area, north of Lyon. (Personal observation). Click on the photos to enlarge

Anacamptis morio. Orchis bouffon Green winged orchid. The Jester Orchid ( Anacamptis morio ), formerly part of the Orchis genus, is a relatively common and rather early plant (from April to June). Its presence is proven over a large part of French territory (including Corsica). The genus is European and well represented in France with very common species such as the Pyramidal Anacamptis (Pyramidal Orchid) or others more localized mainly in the south of the country. Relatively easy to identify: the stem measures from 10 to 30 cm, it is green and turns purple at the level of the inflorescence. The green and unspotted leaves are sometimes barely visible but generally bloom from the base. The flowers, more or less numerous or dense, range from light pink (or almost white) to purple. The sepals and petals are grouped in the shape of a helmet (like the majority of Orchis). The sepals are striped internally, which will make it easy to differentiate the Jester Orchis from the Male Orchis which sometimes shares the same biotope with the same flowering dates. A few meters away, confusion is possible. The labellum is generally punctuated with purple spots but these spots are sometimes absent. NB: There is a subspecies " A picta " which will be impossible to differentiate in the field: smaller plant, smaller flowers are totally abstract elements as the type species varies in significant proportions. Click on the photos to enlarge

Limodorum abortivum. Limodore à feuilles avortées. Violet limodore. It is an original plant from the Mediterranean region and whose flower has nothing to envy other exotic species in terms of its size and coloring. There are only two species in this genus and the second (Limodorum trabutianum) is morphologically very close so will often be confused with Limodorum abortivum which is also much more widespread. It is also considered a subspecies and not a species in its own right. The further north you go in France, the rarer the encounters can become. A fan of dry and wooded environments, it is rarely found in full light but in undergrowth, on the edges or clearings. When its stem appears, one might think of a purple asparagus shoot. It grows quite high (approx. 30 to 70 cm) before blooming. It secretes nectar to attract pollinators and also attracts ants that one will often encounter on its flowers. Some years the flowers do not open and it can be self-pollinating. Even stranger, when the stem does not emerge from the soil surface, the flowers that do develop would also self-pollinate underground. Why with aborted leaves? It does have leaves but they remain sheathed and atrophied, therefore not very visible. This plant, unable to synthesize chlorophyll, depends on its symbiont fungus for additional supply. It was once said to be a parasite, but this is only partly true or even inaccurate if the fungus benefits from it in return, which is often the case with orchid-fungus associations. Limodora would be close to Cephalanthera but genealogically younger. Click on the photos to enlarge

Dactylorhiza incarnata. Orchis incarnat. Early marsh orchid. The Pyramidal Orchid was moved from the genus Orchis to the genus Anacamptis in 1817. It has since been joined by other species that are morphologically quite different. It is genetic analyses that sometimes enlighten us on the relationships of different species and not always their similarities. Anacamptis pyramidalis is a species with a wide geographical presence and often has very high population densities. It is also, in the opinion of many observers, a species in full expansion. Little subject to variation apart from size (from 15 to 50 cm), its color can vary slightly from a light pink to almost vermilion red. A hypochromic (white) specimen can sometimes be found within a population. The flowering period can be all the wider as it is spread in a department with strong variations in altitude or exposure. It will be found from the end of April in the South until the end of June generally in the other departments. Click on the photos to enlarge

Gymnadenia conopsea. Orchis moucheron. Fragrant orchid. It is a common orchid in many departments where it is sometimes found in large colonies. The inflorescence is generally quite developed with many flowers. The plant is tall: from 20 to 60 cm. Gymnadenia have a reputation for developing a slight vanilla scent and this species will be no exception although sometimes the flowers can be odorless. There is another closely related species: Gymnadenia odoratissima which will be very difficult to differentiate apart from a more pronounced odor and a smaller size. In the field therefore, unless you have 2 populations to observe in parallel, naming one and the other will be impossible and can only be confirmed by a specialist. The other morphological differences are quite subtle and relate to the size of the flowers, the shape of the labellum in particular. The distribution area being included in that of G conopsea, this complicates the task even more. Click on the photos to enlarge

Epipactis purpurata. Epipactis pourpre. Violet helleborine. A plant of undergrowth, sometimes of clearings, Epipactis purpurata measures from 20 to 70 cm. The flowers can be washed with purple or remain rather dull but the stem is generally of a slightly purple tint. The leaves are of medium to small size. In Epipactis, the labellum is divided into two parts: the hypochile, concave, contains more or less nectar, which gives it a shiny appearance, and the epichile, often pointed, sometimes folded, with a complex appearance, rarely smooth and covered with bumps, hollows or furrows that allow insects to cling while they draw nectar. Petals and sepals are generally of the same color, more or less greenish. The pollinia, once stuck on the head of the insect, slowly disintegrate, which allows several flowers to be fertilized. Click on the photos to enlarge