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| Cephalantera longifolia |
In the great
world of nature observation, no matter how expert we think we are, we always
discover some amazing subjects.
Free time in
my life has taken place intensively with multiple outdoor activities in the
heart of nature and with a great sense of curiosity to know and understand it.
Lately, I have found a corner for me unknown "the world of Orchids". These
little but beautiful "witches" appear in very few, surprising and
specific places, showing themselves exotic and sometimes dazzling and intriguing,
with their mysteries.
Their beauty
is developed in a short time, and then vanishes shyly into its slumber, leaving only their dry flower spikes, which as
beacons point to their almost new birth; anonymous among the vegetation;
shooting stars of the field; elves in the flora.
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| Cephalantera rubra |
Some specimens of delicate Orchis, slender
Dactylorhyzas and Ophrys (bee flowers) called my attention. But since I did not
have a clear idea of their characteristics, due to the lack of information that
until now can be found, I could not guess the wide variety that we have in our
land; about 65 in Valencia Community.
Any European plants or flowers field guide
mentions only a few among the almost five hundred species known so far.
Until I informed myself, I should have mistaken
them with other flowers, unknown to me, or even could be that I did not
discover them at their climax, their flowering.
In any case, I spent many years not appreciating
them as exotic species and not valuing them as they deserve.
Orchids are the
plants with more species in the world, surpassing grasses. They have colonized
all lands except for extreme deserts and the inhospitable Arctic. Generally, the
most known are some tropical ones, the most splendid, but we cannot despise the
others. Ours have a modest appearance and size, you just need to approach them,
take a closer look and enjoy their originality and beauty.
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| Epipactis palustris |
These plants are derived from the genus Linaria,
maintaining their characteristic flowers with multiples of three floral
elements (trimerous). The most original singularity is focused on the third
petal or lip which is usually a specialized place for luring insects and for their
landing, which play a role in pollination.
Our European orchids do not develop like the other
plants; they have a much more complex and interesting reproduction system. For
the seeds to germinate is required the help of a tiny fungus, very specific, which
colonize them, but nevertheless avoiding to be totally infested thanks to a
fungicidal agent that they possess, otherwise they would die.
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| Orchis olbiensis |
The fungus penetrates partially into the little seed to reach an embryo area,
in this moment the plant takes advantage and absorbs the fungus sugars in order
to rapidly develop the seedling. This symbiosis state can last a long time or
all their lives, depending on the species. Some would take 14 or 15 years to
show us their first bloom.
Some orchids
are very difficult to locate, only a small number of taxa exists and the
development sites are particular and specific, therefore we should get properly
informed if we do not want to fail in our attempt to discover them.
With experience we will be able to find and
differentiate the incipient orchid plants among the others, even when the
spikes are not developed yet, and then we can determine, in many cases, the
family to which they belong. Occasionally, last year´s dry spikes will be an
unmistakable sign of their future development.
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| Ophys scolopax |
With good notes, or even better, with the
invaluable help of a GPS, we can find them again when we think their growth
stage is completed.
With practice we will develop an instinct, which will surprise us,
for discovering the adequate spots where they inhabit. But anyway we must walk
a lot in the woods, since further, the species bloom in stages.
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| Ophrys lutea |
This photographic adventure, or simply observation,
offers us a complement, for loving and understanding better our mountains and
their ecosystems, and in our desire to discover these interesting plants, our
little elves.
Obviously, harvesting is prohibited, due to their scarcity, and as we
mentioned before, because their very complicated reproduction and development.
¡¡Enjoy them!!
Photographs by the author
Manolo Ambou Terradez
En CASTELLANO:
http://manoloambou.blogspot.com.es/2011/01/orquideas-silvestres-pequenos-duendes.html
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