Lardos 6th April 2023 (36° 6'17.65"N  28° 0'48.89"E)

The fiest stop of the day is just north of the delightfully named village of Lardos. It looks like a bend in the road was realigned, and this as we found out provided a spot for rubbish to be dumped. Just more Serapsias bergonii here

Laerma 6th April 2023 (36° 8'43.00"N  27°55'6.05"E)

This was just at the junction on the road south of Laerma branched - one way to the monastery and the other continuing as a gravel track. The was a small chapel or shrine by the roadside. The only orchids seen were another tongue orchid Serapsias orientalis ssp. carica which is local to Rhodes. This is a larger plant than S. bergonii and a longer tongue. However there was a botanical novelty to be seen. Cytirnus rubra is a plant parasitic on rock rose.

Road to Apollonia site 1 6th April 2023 (36°10'3.52"N 27°57'19.44"E)

The Kretzschmaer book lists a number of orchid sites along this road but finding them from mere descriptions and being able to park close by is not so easy. We stop where we can at likely looking spots, but we are not as successful in finding orchids as I would like. This first location yielded Ophrys phrygane, Serapsias bergonii, Ophrys ferdinand-regis well beyond their sell by date and an Orchis species still well in bud.

Road to Apollonia site 2 6th April 2023 (36°10'3.52"N 27°57'19.44"E)

A bit of phrygana-ish land at an S-bend yields some Ophrys ferdinand-regis this time in flower, Serapsias bergonii and more of the Orchis species still in tight bud.

Road to Apollonia site 3 6th April 2023 (36°11'14.00"N  27°57'31.75"E)

A bit further on and the terrain becomes more agricultural. We stop where there is a bit of waste ground on the left, and something more like a grassy meadow on the right. Here we find the almost inevitable Serapsias bergonii, a nice sprinkling of Ophrys phryganae in the grass under some bushes, and Ophrys umbilicata ssp. rhodia on the rough ground. One plant/flower caught my attention. At first it looked deformed, then perhaps the equivalent of the Bee orchid var chlorantha, before realising it was just a flower about to unfurl viewed from an odd angle.

It was then that the first drops of rain started to fall followed by lighting and thunder. Soon it was absolutely tipping it down. We have a choice. Either sit it out without knowing how long the downpour will last and risk a flooded road somewhere along the line, or risk driving in the rain on what are not easy roads in the dry. We choose the latter. This road promised much from the route suggested in Kretxschmaer, but delivered little. Perhaps a return late in the week and find some other spots further on.