Orchids on Pelješac

Published in Nature Watch

Orchid enthusiast Frank Verhart continued his researches into European orchids during 2016. He found much of interest on the Pelješac peninsula.

Orchis tridentata Orchis tridentata Photo: Frank Verhart

Frank Verhart from the Netherlands has lifelong experience looking out for orchids, and his expertise increases year on year. In 2015 he explored the Dalmatian islands of Hvar and Brač as the guest of Eco Hvar, and introduced many to the magic of the often tiny treasures to be found in woodlands, fields, gardens and roadsides. He was able to show why it is so important to look after these protected plants, as they all too easily get overlooked when individuals and local authorities spray areas with herbicides, and as a result of thoughtless fly-tipping in the countryside. Mapping where the orchids are to be found plays a key role in their protection. Frank logs his orchid findings with care, resulting in detailed maps for the records. In his identifications and classifications, he uses the taxonomy from the standard work by the Belgian expert Pierre Delforge, 'Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East', published by Christopher Helm Publishers, 2006.

Aceras anthropophorum (Man orchid). Photo: Frank Verhart

Over several years, Frank has generously been sharing his detailed findings with Prof.dr.sc. Toni Nikolić at the Department of Botany in the Biology Division of Zagreb's Science University, who is responsible for compiling the full listing of Croatia's plants, the Flora Croatica Database.

Ophrys tommasinii. Photo: Frank Verhart

In 2016, Frank visited France and Croatia, by way of Slovenia. As he reports: "all still and as usual by hitch-hiking. On the way [to Croatia] I have visited and stayed overnight at Miran Ipavec's Autostoparski Muzej (Hitch-hiking Museum) in Bled, Slovenia. Miran is maybe the most experienced hitch-hiker, distance wise, in Slovenia.. I’ve again been able to do some very cool observations, especially Orchis ustulata and Cephalanthera damasonium (Burnt orchid and White helleborine) as they have never been reported from Pelješac before, and I am fairly confident indeed, that there are no official reports of those. The latter has recently been found by Croatian botanists for the first time on Mljet 2012 and Korčula 2013, I think this is quite remarkable..."

Orchis ustulata. Photo: Frank Verhart

The Orchis ustulata (neotinea ustulata, burnt orchid, burnt-tip orchid) is fairly common across Europe, to which it is native, but is considered endangered in the United Kingdom, according to the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. That said, Kew reports that there has been a significant decline in central Europe "due to habitat destruction as a result of building, quarrying and, in particular, more intense agricultural practices. Burnt-tip orchids can only survive in unfertilised, unploughed grassland due to their protracted underground growth period. In addition, where grazing is discontinued burnt-tip orchid is liable to decline because its small size means it cannot survive in long grass."

Cephalanthera damasonium. Photo: Frank Verhart

The Cephalanthera damasonium (White helleborine) which Frank identified on Pelješac is very rare on the peninsula, and this is its first entry on the Zagreb database. In Croatia it is considered endangered and is strictly protected. In the United Kingdom, by contrast, it is considered widespread, despite the loss of woodlands which are its natural habitat. The Cephalanthera damasonium develops slowly. One was nurtured with loving care over more than ten years in the grounds outside an Oxford brain research unit (MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit), only to be mowed down one day in a thoughtless 'tidying up' landscaping operation, Maintenance of public green spaces should be based on an appreciation of the wonderful gifts of wild plants which they can bring. All too often there is a policy of suppressing anything which grows naturally, whether with herbicides, mowers or strimmers. In Croatia, and elsewhere, this means that the concept of protecting wild plants like orchids is completely disregarded.

Epipactis microphylla, flowering early, 22.04.2016. Photo: Frank Verhart

Another uncommon finding by Frank: "Epipactis microphylla (Small leaved helleborine) was reported for the first time from Pelješac in 2013, I found it as well in two plants in a different part of the peninsula." Frank also reported that it was flowering unusually early, on April 22nd 2016.

Ophrys bombyliflora. Photo: Frank Verhart

The Ophrys bombyliflora, another rare finding on Pelješac, gave Frank particular pleasure: "oh what a joy to see Ophrys bombyliflora again on Pelješac, after I had seen it in 1998 for the last (and only) time on Rhodos...! By heart I believe that Zagreb University has just one record of this species for Pelješac, and I have now reported them in another three locations."

Serapias ionica. Photo: Frank Verhart

The Serapias ionica is another rare find on Pelješac. It was first identified in 1988 on Cephalonia in Greece. It is thought to be found only on the Ionian Greek and Southern Dalmatian Croatian islands, but there is some hope that it might also appear on the mainland. On the coast, the Serapias ionica is felt to be at risk from agriculture and building development, especially in places where tourism is important to the local economy.

Orchis morio. Photo: Frank Verhart

Besides the rare findings on Pelješac, Frank observed many more familiar orchids. However, a couple appeared in unusual colours, notably the orchis morio (pictured above), and the orchis italica (below).

Orchis italica, unusual colour. Photo: Frank Verhart

One comment on Frank's picture gallery suggested that the Orchis italica colour might have been affected by radiation or pollution.

Anacamptis pyramidalis. Photo: Frank Verhart
Frank's trained eye can spot even the humblest orchid hidden among a host of other plants. Orchids also grow in specially vulnerable places like roadsides, where they are in danger of being crushed by carelessly parked cars, or even irresponsibly discarded rubbish. More awareness of the exquisite natural gifts all around us would allow these beautiful plants to flourish safely for generations to come. Without more care, there is great danger that many will be irredeemably lost.
To read Frank's detailed account of his observations of orchids in Croatia, click here.
To see more of Frank's gallery of orchid pictures from Pelješac on Facebook, click here - you need to have a Facebook account to access the page.
Key reference work: Delforge, Pierre, 2006. 'Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East', published by Christopher Helm Publishers. ISBN: 13: 9780713675252
Eco Hvar is extremely grateful to Frank Verhart for continuing to share his orchid explorations with us.
© Vivian Grisogono MA(Oxon) 2017
 
You are here: Home Nature Watch Orchids on Pelješac

Eco Environment News feeds

  • Appeal court says defendants’ ‘beliefs and motivation’ do not constitute lawful excuse for damaging property

    One of the last defences for climate protesters who commit criminal damage has been in effect removed by the court of appeal. The court said the “beliefs and motivation” of a defendant do not constitute lawful excuse for causing damage to a property.

    The defence that a person honestly believes the owner of a property would have consented had they known the full circumstances of climate change has been used successfully over the last year by protesters.

    Continue reading...

  • Academic experts also criticise UN Food and Agriculture Organization for dismissing alternative proteins

    The omission of meat-eating reduction from proposals in a UN roadmap to tackle the climate crisis and end hunger is “bewildering”, according to academic experts.

    The group also criticised the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s report for “dismissing” the potential of alternative proteins, such as plant-based meat, to reduce the impact of livestock on the environment.

    Continue reading...

  • Perhaps our government imagines bulldog spirit will protect us from the dangerous substances that Europe rules unsafe

    It’s a benefit of Brexit – but only if you’re a manufacturer or distributor of toxic chemicals. For the rest of us, it’s another load we have to carry on behalf of the shysters and corner-cutters who lobbied for the UK to leave the EU.

    The government insisted on a separate regulatory system for chemicals. At first sight, it’s senseless: chemical regulation is extremely complicated and expensive. Why replicate an EU system that costs many millions of euros and employs a small army of scientists and administrators? Why not simply adopt as UK standards the decisions it makes? After all, common regulatory standards make trading with the rest of Europe easier. Well, now we know. A separate system allows the UK to become a dumping ground for the chemicals that Europe rules unsafe.

    George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist

    Join George Monbiot for a Guardian Live online event on Wednesday 8 May 2024 at 8pm BST. He will be talking about his new book, The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism. Book tickets here

    Continue reading...

  • Installations must speed up 11-fold as advisers say latest changes to scheme likely to make 2028 target even harder

    The public spending watchdog has criticised the slow pace of the government’s heat pump rollout just days after ministers postponed an important scheme designed to increase the rate of installations.

    A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that heat pump installations would need to accelerate 11-fold if the government is to reach its target for 600,000 heat pumps installed in homes every year by 2028.

    Continue reading...

  • Ballachrink, Isle of Man: My monthly bird survey started so slowly that I nearly gave up – I would have missed a ‘first’ for this site if I had

    Quietly opening the shutters of the hide, I have before me a “lake”, which almost anywhere else in the world would be termed a humble pond. I am smug to have the whole reserve to myself and settle down, marvelling at seeing the same view twice at once, reflected in the serene, mirror-flat water.

    Each month, I and thousands of like-minded volunteers, undertake bird surveys across the country for the British Trust for Ornithology. At first glance, my visit today appears to be a disappointment. After five whole minutes, I haven’t seen a single bird on the lake. Dejected, I consider moving on, but my instinct tells me to sit for a while.

    Continue reading...

  • A traditionally male-dominated industry is being quietly transformed by an influx of talent who don’t fit the stereotype

    Back in the 1970s, Holly Collins was studying for her A-levels in Sussex. While her friends sent off their university applications, she wrote to the Royal Agricultural College asking for an entry form, hoping to follow her dream of becoming a farmer.

    “They wrote back with the following answer: ‘Dear Miss Collins, we do not admit women.’”

    Continue reading...

  • GPs with convictions over protests face tribunals to determine whether they can keep licence to practise

    Dr Sarah Benn has long been concerned about the climate crisis, diligently recycling until she was “blue in the face”. But the rise of the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion in 2019 inspired her and her husband to go further. “We thought: well, if we don’t do it then who else is going to?”

    While working as a GP near Birmingham, Benn became increasingly involved in direct action over the next few years, and once glued her hand to the door of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy in protest at the government’s inaction on the climate.

    Continue reading...

  • Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: On a day spent picking horse poo from the pasture, I welcome this Celtic charm

    I am up to my ankles in thick mud, scraping horse poo up from a waterlogged pasture. It’s been a tough winter for anyone who spends lots of time outdoors. East Anglia has recorded its wettest (and warmest) February on record, with endless drab days of persistent rain.

    Poo-picking helps to keep the pasture palatable and reduces the parasitic worms that can infect the horses, but it’s hard work. My wheelbarrow is nearly full of muck, and the hill looms. I wonder if I may give up halfway, stuck in mud, my lifeless body waiting to be found. Yet I push through the mire and take a breather halfway, heart racing.

    Continue reading...

  • Researchers found that the Victorians brought so many seeds and saplings to Britain that experts say the giant redwoods now outnumber those in their US homeland

    Three giant redwoods tower over Wakehurst’s Elizabethan mansion like skyscrapers. Yet at 40 metres (131ft) high, these are almost saplings – not even 150 years old and already almost twice as high as Cleopatra’s Needle.

    “At the moment they’re some of the tallest trees in the UK and they are starting to poke above the forest canopy. But if they grow to their full potential, they’re going to be three times taller than most trees,” says Dr Phil Wilkes, part of the research team at Wakehurst, in West Sussex, an outpost of Kew Gardens. One or two of these California imports would be curiosities, such as the 100-metre high redwood that was stripped of its bark in 1854 and exhibited to Victorian crowds at the Crystal Palace in south-east London, until it was destroyed by fire in 1866.

    Continue reading...

  • Right to Roam finds areas of outstanding natural beauty have on average poorer footpath access than rest of England

    England’s most stunning “national landscapes” are largely out of bounds, and 22 of the 34 have less than 10% of their area open to the public, research has found.

    The government last year renamed areas of outstanding natural beauty to national landscapes, and said part of their aim was to widen access to nature. Ministers said at the time the new name reflected a recognition that they are not just beautiful but important for many reasons including improving wellbeing.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds