In 2016 the Nelsons decided to expand their horizons by planning a 3 week European road trip. The idea was to visit and experience the art, food, history and culture in Paris, Venice, Florence/Tuscany, Nice/Provence, Barcelona/Catalonia, the Pyrenees of Spain and France and the Chateaux of the Loire Valley of France. A 4,000+ mile loop was executed, beginning and ending in Paris. The experience far exceeded our wildest expectations and left us enlightened and enriched. Although not planned specifically as an orchid hunting trip, multi-day stops in 3 choice alpine locations were built into the itinerary and a bonanza of 18 species and varieties of orchids - 13 of them new to us - were viewed. The thrill of visiting a different continent and seeing countless new species of plants and animals is one of life's greatest experiences and is comparable to the premier of a new musical work or the unveiling of a new painting.

Our first stop was the postcard-perfect village of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland nestled deep in the fabled valley of 72 waterfalls. Located in the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps, the scenery is other-worldly; both Goethe and Lord Byron penned poems to the ethereal beauty found there. We hiked the scenic and well-named Mountain View Trail and the flowers - and orchids - were incredible. 2016 was a late, wet season, which really worked in our favor.

It was then on to The Dolomite Range of Italy and Adamello Brenta Nat'l Park near the ski resort town of Madonna di Campiglio. Although no orchids were found, the scenery was stunning and the alpine bloom was prime.

Our final botanical stop was in the Aragonese Pyrenees region of Spain. Here we visited the botanically-rich Ordesa Valley, located in Monte Perdido Nat'l Park, with Monte Perdido being the highest calcareous massif in Europe. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the must-see natural attractions in Europe and harbours over 1,400 species of plants, many of them endemic species. We hiked the trail that ascends the stunning Ordesa Valley and made many exciting orchid discoveries. What appeared to be a hybrid Epipactis was particularly intriguing. (see gallery below)

I would like to thank Eric Lamont, Mark Larocque (USA) Mike Parsons (UK) and Jose Luis Benito Alonso (Spain), author of "Wild Flowers of Ordessa and Mont Perdido Nat'l Park", for their help with species identification. Renata Caviglia's APP, AlpineFlower Finder Europe - a Swiss field guide to the wildflowers of the Alps, was a great help as well.

Due to luggage constraints, I was unable to travel with my usual camera and photographic accessories; i.e. black backgrounds, diffusion tent, ring flash, reflectors, tripod, etc. - several digital cameras were used instead, as well as the amazing iPhone. Many of the images were captured by my eldest daughter Johanna, and were often "grabbed" on the fly, as we were usually hurrying on to the next amazing scene...

Enjoy!


Orchid species list (in alphabetical order)

1) Cephalanthera rubra (Red Helleborine)
2) Corallorhiza trifida (Early Coralroot)
3) Dactylorhiza alpestris (Alpine Dactylorhiza)
4) Dactylorhiza maculata (Heath Spotted Orchid)
5) Dactylorhiza maculata subsp. fuchsii (Common Spotted Orchid)
6) Dactylorhiza majalis (Marsh Orchid)
7) Epipactis atrorubens (Dark red Helleborine)
8) Epipactis helleborine (Broad-leaved Helleborine)
9) Epipactis x schmalhausenii (E. atrorubens x E. helleborine)
10) Goodyera repens (Dwarf Rattlesnake Plantain)
11) Gymnadenea conopsea (Fragrant Orchid)
12) Neottia cordata (Heartleaf Twayblade)
13) Neottia nidus-avis (Bird's Nest Orchid)
14) Neottia ovata (Eggleaf Twayblade)
15) Neotinea ustulata (Burnt-tip Orchid)
16) Platanthera chlorantha (Greater Butterfly Orchid)
17) Platanthera bifolia (Lesser Butterfly Orchid)
18) Psuedorchis albida subsp. tricuspis (Small White Orchid)

*Not all species seen were photographed.