Episkopi 14th March 2017

On a limestone roadside cutting below the British forces barracks grows the only known Epipactis veratrifolia outside the Troodos area growing on Cyprus. Growing at an altitude of 80 metres means that it is just beginning to flower during March, as opposed to May or even later in the mountains. This makes the plants here minor celebrities. Even so there was only one flower open, but that is good enough for me!. I have read that the group suffered a few years ago when the cutting was `cleared up' (presumably so the drainage channel for the road didn't get clogged), but we counted a healthy 13 spikes, all with buds, so it seems to be thriving and has the potential to recover. The flowers themselves look quite evil with the sinister deep violet pigments and those basal swellings on the epichile.

Temple of Apollo 14th March 2017

A visit to these ruins is well worth the time spent. It also gave a chance to look for orchids beside the track leading from the B6 road and along the nature walk heading towards the Stadium ruins. Nothing new seen growing here; in fact those we saw became know as the usual suspects. The Orchis syriaca were just starting to go over, and this is a reflection of the low altitude of the site of 120 metres, compared to Smygies 250 metres and Pegeira 360 metres, where they were in prime condition. Here the Ophrys flavomarginata were definitely past their best with the lip taking on a dull brown colour, while the Ophrys umbilcata and Ophrys galilaea were quite good. Orchids were quite sparse despite what I took to be a possible good place to look - see site photo. Elsewhere on the island we found that the large white asphodels were not a good indicator of the presence of orchids, but such sites couldn't be ruled out. All over the site were groups of densely packed rosettes that might be a late flowering orchid, but there does not seem to a be candidate species.

Akrotiri, 14th March 2017

This site is referred to a being south of the Akrotiri Salt Lake, so after parking by the experimental agricultural station we started looking in the waste ground the other side of the road, and were a bit disappointed. It wasn't until we moved up the slope, through the shrubs, and onto the flatter area alongside the road entrance to the air base that we found orchids in numbers. Sadly, the spot also acted as a dump for some rubbish.
We found more Orchis collina which had finished flowering on the lower site and plenty of Ophrys flavomarginata everywhere. Elsewhere there were clumps of Ophrys elegans. These were readily identified by the yellow lip margin and like other sites only one flower per stem was in decent condition. There were still fewer species seen here than I had hoped.

        
The O. colina, two O. flavomarginata, and the O. elegans

The gem was of course the Ophrys kotschyi, a very striking appearance, but a surprisingly short species almost lost in the grass; at least that goes those I saw here. And there was a mystery orchid that I am tempted to name as a hybrid. I will tentatively hazard a guess that it is O. flavomarginata x O. iricolor (or O. israelitica). While having the general form of flavomarginata the lip is quite atyical and has the typical patterning of one of those other two. The sepals do not seem quite flavomarginata either. It is a toss-up as to whether there is the W marking that shows up so well on O. israelitica.

     
Ophrys kotschyi (left pair) and the putative hybrid (right pair)

Near Kourion, 14th and 17th March 2017

There is a 2 mile stretch of the B6 road between the ruins of Kourion stadium and the Episkopi barracks with light pine woodland bordering the landward side of the road. This covers the area near the Temple of Apollo, but that was a quite different habitat. However, despite searching at both ends of the woods it was largely a case of usual suspects again.
Orchis syriaca were, as usual, in an array of shades including near white, and generally hiding in semi-shade. Ophrys galilaea were present too, and the pictures show one looking more like O. lutea with no extention to the dark marking on the bottom of the lip. Both O. flavomarginata and O. umbilicata, with its more pointed sepals and longer petals, had brightly coloured lips.
There was one mystery Ophrys (bottom two photos below) which could be a hybrid or abnormal variation. At first glance I though O. tenthedrinifera; on further inspection it could be that species' version of Var flavens. The lip is abnormally hairy, and lacks a pattern. The colours suggest that it could be going over, but from other species seen, that wouldn't happen until the next flower on the stem had started to open.

Kantou to Souni road, 15th March 2017

We stopped a couple of miles north of the village of Kantou. On the right was a patch of little used ground begging for an orchid search. I say little used, but it seems to have been a favourite place for fly-tipping. Nevertheless there were orchids; a confusing array of Ophrys species and more Orchis collina post flowering (altitude 110 metres). I have tried to apply Christofides' identification key to the  Ophrys and still have 3 specimens, subtly different from each other, that I cannot identify but may just be Ophrys flavomarginata. However one suggestion was O. flavomarginata xO. alasiatica.

     
Two Ophrys lapetheca, a clump of Ophrys flavomarginata, and Ophrys kotschyi
 
The lip shape on these three does not match the other species,
and two show quite a degree of hairyness.

Kantou to Sofira road, 15th March 2017

Another couple of miles in a different direction out of the village, and this site provides more variety of habitat. The southern side has both neglected olive grove and fire damaged ground, while across the road are terraces disappearing down into the valley. We only explored the top of this area - it would be so easy to put a foot wrong and that valley was both steep and deep. Shame because there may have been more to see. The altitude is around 185 metres.
The first orchids seen were more Orchis syriaca and Ophrys elegans, O. flavomarginata and O. attica; nothing to add to these. But then came orchids from the Ophrys mammosa complex - identified as O. sintenisii and O. transhyrcana, based on the size of the basal swellings and sepal colours. They did seem to grow as discrete populations, the former seen on the olive grove side of the road and the latter on the valley terraces.

        
Orchis syriaca (pink and white), Ophrys elegans, and O. flavomarginata
    
Ophrys attica
  
Ophrys sintenisii
    
Ophrys transhyrcana

The fire damaged area was quite extensive and recent, but seems not to have affected the Giant Orchid, Barlia robertsiana. Some of these were coming up in areas of bare earth. But there were more examples on the limestone terrace side, with pink colours and a sort of washed-out olive colour to the petals and sepals. Another discovery was an Orchis species in bud on the wooded side. The pink flower buds and the wavy edges leaves meant Orchis italica, proved across the road where most were looking magnificent in full flower.

Barlia robertsiana

Orchis italica

Apesia 14th March 2017

With a bit of time on our hands there was a chance to check out further sites in the Limassol hinterland. After negotiating the traffic leaving and getting onto the A6 we headed north a bit and then east to arrive at Apesia, another of those villages where there is only room for one vehicle along the main street. I wasn't quite sure whether we pulled up at the right spot, with phone maps not working, but in retrospect we were, or at least very close. However after finding just scattered examples of O. attica it stated to drizzle, and then soon pour down. We sat in the car for a while, but it looked as if the rain would continue somewhile. So a bit of on-the-hoof rescheduling of the following day could see a return here.