John and Gerry's  Orchids of Britain and Europe

Orchid genera (Click on link) Aceras Anacamptis Barlia Cephalanthera Coeloglossum Corallorhiza Cypripedium Dactylorhiza Epipactis Epipogium Goodyera Gymnadenia Hammarbya Herminium Himantoglossum Liparis Listera Malaxis Neotinea Neottia Nigritella Ophrys Orchis Platanthera Pseudorchis Serapias Spiranthes Traunsteinera

What and why? Within these pages will be found photographs and information on various species of orchid found growing in Europe, including the British Isles (yes, we did know that Britain is part of Europe!).  It adds to the many other orchid pages to be found on the web, many of which are truly excellent, so, why another one? The photographs have been taken by two wrinklies who have  spent far too many hours trampsing the countryside looking for, sometimes finding and now and again photographing orchids and other wild flowers. Up until now apart from a few prints, most of the slides and images have languished in drawers and more recently on hard discs.  With the onset of digital age we have decided to put them on the web both for our own ego's sake and for the delectation of others if they so wish.

In addition they may serve a useful purpose!!   One of the problems with many of the European orchid genera is that the presence of considerable variation within a species, hybridization between species and apparent overlap between species makes identification a real pain at times.  Current molecular studies  are beginning to sort this variation out formally but that doesn't help much in the field.   Although we find most species can be identified in the field with the help of a good guide, there are always the awkward ones where you end up poring over photographs once you get home and this is where the web can come in helpful.  We have therefore tried to represent the variation within species wherever possible.  We certainly do not pretend that this will be a comprehensive database, it merely reflects our travels and interests, although we hope to build on it in the future.   Where and when? Most of the pictures on this site have been taken in over the past few years using various digital cameras.  Where we felt appropriate we have included a few older pictures scanned in from prints or slides.  Photos have mostly been taken in the UK and Mediterranean Europe and we intend continuing to add to the site as long as we can still walk! Disclaimer!! The text on this site has been written by us, most of the descriptions are based on our own observations with details added from a range of sources.  We have tried to be informative and accurate but no doubt there are many mistakes for which we apologise. We would be very grateful for any comments and/or corrections which would be acknowledged.  Contact us by email:   orchidsofbritainandeurope All photographs are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission.