The Cevennes, southern France

Anacamptis morio - Green-winged Orchid

Increasingly threatened in the UK and other parts of northern Europe, this orchid still flourishes on the High Causse in the Cevennes and carpets the ground in favoured spots from mid-to-late April and into May.

Anacamptis pyramidalis - Pyramidal Orchid

A common orchid in the Cevennes but very beautiful nonetheless. It is a lovely deep pink in colour and the flowerhead is distinctly pyramidal in shape when the flowers first start to open. Later they becomes much more egg-shaped which often fools people into thinking that they have found something other than the Pyramidal Orchid.

Anacamptis pyramidalis var. alba - Pyramidal Orchid - white variant

As above but occasionally a pure white form will appear among the pink flowers.

Cephalanthera damasonium

This species can be difficult to distinguish from Cepalanthera longifolia and it grows in the same types of habitats, adding to the confusion. The Cevennes region of France has plenty of its preferred habitat of chalk-based beechwoods. It flowers from May and into June.

Cephalanthera longifolia - Sword-leaved Helleborine

The list of orchids found in the Cevennes truly is a litany of species which are now very rare in northern Europe and the UK, and this species is not exception. It is a woodland plant and can be found in open woodland rides in late April and early May.

Cypripedium calceolus - Lady's Slipper Orchid

This is probably the most sought after orchid in Europe and one that all those interested in wild orchids would love to see in the wild. It is rare and threatened throughout its range as a result of habitat destruction and collecting of plants by unscrupulous individuals.

In the Cevennes in flowers in May or June depending on the season, and can be found on Mont Lozere.

Dactylorhiza fuschsii - Common Spotted-orchid

Well known from many northern European countries this is a chalk-loving species of orchid which flowers from May and into June. Look out for it in unimproved grassland and meadows.

Dactylorhiza majalis - Broad-leaved Marsh-orchid

The distribution of this marsh orchid is poorly understood due to its confusion with other similar species. It grows in very wet and marshy grassland and flowers in late May and early June. Its broad leaves are heavily marked with large dark spots.

Dactylorhiza sambucina - Elder-flowered Orchid

This intriguing orchid appears in two colours - dark red and bright yellow and nobody really understands why. It is a grassland species which is in serious decline throughout its range due to habitat destruction. It flowers in late May and June in undisturbed grasslands.

Its territory extends from southern Europe and extends into the east and as far north as Scandinavia.

Dactylorhiza viridis - Frog Orchid

The Frog Orchid is a rare species in the Cevennes region, but it is also very difficult to spot because of it's drab greenish-brown colour which becomes lost among surrounding vegetation. It is tolerant of a wide range of habitats from meadows, open woodland and fens. It flowers from May until well into July.

Himantoglossum robertianum - Giant Orchid

A surprise find for us in early April, it appears that the distribution of this amazing orchid is moving slowly northwards. We saw it in mid April in a roadside ditch just outside Florac. It can grow to over a metre in height and the flowers vary from a dullish green colour to dark pink.

Further south it is one of the first orchids to appear and the flowers in the Greek islands appear as early as February. Further north it flowers later but still well ahead of the majority of orchids.

Neotinea ustulata - Burnt Orchid

A slightly later-flowering species of orchid, the Burnt Orchid (sometimes referred to as Burnt-tip Orchid) grows in grassy areas of the Cevennes and up on the High Causse. Look for it from the beginning-to-end-of May.

Neottia nidus-avis - Bird's-nest Orchid

This is an interesting orchid which is entirely lacking in chlorophyll and therefore unable to photosynthesise its own food. It lives in Beech woodland and grows up through the leaf litter making it very difficult to spot. In Wales I have found it under Lime trees, but Beech woods are the best place to look. It establishes a mutually beneficial relationship with micorrhizal fungi from which it gains the necessary nutrients to germinate and grow. It comes into flower from mid May onwards.

Neottia ovata - Common Twayblade

Common by name and common by nature the Common Twayblade is a chalk-loving orchid which flowers freely in most of the unimproved grasslands of the Cevennes. Look out for it from May onwards.

Ophrys araneola

This is another very early-flowering species of the early spider orchids. The distribution of Ophrys araneola is centred in France and it grows on alkaline soils in short-sward grasslands, on roadside verges and on the edges of woodland. Look out for this distinctive orchid with the yellow border around the distinctly lobed flower lip from February onwards.

Ophrys sphegodes - Early Spider Orchid

This orchid appears very early in the year and is rather difficult to spot. It is very rare in the UK and grows on the limestone cliffs of Kent and Dorset where it is probably at the most northerly part of its territory being far more common in the southerly parts of Europe. Look out for it from early April on the side of tracks and paths through open wooded areas..

Ophrys insectifera subsp. aymoninii - Aymonin's Fly Orchid

This orchid is very similar to the Fly Orchid - Ophrys insectifera, but has much more yellow colouring in the flowers. It is both rare and localised and is endemic to the southern Causses in France, where it grows in short grassland, scrub and on woodland edges. It flowers from May to the beginning of July

Ophrys lutea - Yellow Bee Orchid

This delightful orchid is very common in the southern Mediterranean-Atlantic region and is particularly numerous in the Algarve region of Portugal. It's distribution stretches right up into France as far as Charente. It grows on alkaline soils in grassland, scrub and abandoned farmland, in particular. It flowers from March (in the far south) and can be found until June in the more northerly parts of its range.

Ophrys passionis - Passiontide Ophrys

This orchid grows in a lot of different habitats as long as they are calcareous. Ophrys passionis is found in short unimproved grassland, in abandoned farmland, scrub and open woodland. It flowers early from March but can be seen well into June as it is known to have successive waves of flowering.

Orchis anthropophora - Man Orchid

When I first took an interest in wild orchids I wondered if I would ever see this very rare (in Britain) species - and I still haven't seen it there! I have seen in it many southern European countries over the years and it is quite numerous in parts of the Cevennes. It flowers from around mid May and you should look for it in unimproved grassland and up on the High Causse where it can be particularly numerous.

Orchis mascula - Early Purple Orchid

Usually the first of the wild orchids to appear in the Cevennes, this species grows on grassy banks and in unimproved grassland. It flowers from mid-to-late April. The only species to flower earlier is the Early Spider Orchid - see above.

Orchis militaris - Military Orchid

This orchid is another rare and endangered species in the UK and northern Europe but it still flowers freely on the roadside banks and in unimproved pastures of the Lot Valley. It flowers slightly later than other orchis species and appears from mid May in most years.

Orchis purpurea - Lady Orchid

Surely one of the most beaufiful of the orchis species, the Lady Orchid is a threatened or endangered species in the UK and in many other countries of northern Europe. It flowers early in the Cevennes - from the end of April until the end of May - appearing at the same time as the Early Purple Orchids and Green-winged Orchids. Look for it on grassy banks and in unimproved grassland and pastures.

Orchis simia - Monkey Orchid

The Monkey Orchid is a real speciality of the Lot Valley and the Cevennes (but very rare and scattered in other parts of northern Europe and the UK) where it flowers from the end of April until the end of May. Look for it on roadside verges and in unimproved grassland and meadows.

Platanthera chlorantha - Greater Butterfly Orchid

Both Butterfly orchids appear together in some places and they are notoriously difficult to tell apart particularly as the 'lesser' and 'greater' epithets are no indication of the size of the plants or the flowers at all! It is the pollinia (structure in the flower that holds the pollen) of the flowers that give the game away: in the Lesser Butterfly Orchid they are parallel and in the Greater Butterfly Orchid they form an open upside down V shape. They are truly a woodland species in the Lot Valley and the Cevennes and appear in sunny woodland rides throughout the area. they They normally flower from early May onwards.