Granada Province.

Another new Orchid for my Granada list.

Dark Spider Orchid (Ophrys incubacea).

Today we needed to take a trip into Granada for some items for the redecoration of the house, so when a friend said that he was going to look for some Orchids that morning it seemed like a good idea to join him. After dropping Jayne off at the retail park I went to the meeting place near the site and we continued on up some hairy tracks in my poor little ford fiesta. Arrangements had been made for a gate to this private site to be left open, so when we arrived we went straight up to the area that we hoped to find the Dark Spider Orchids (Ophrys incubacea) and Early Spider Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes). 

Dark Spider Orchid (Ophrys incubacea).

We spent nearly two hour searching without any success but we did find several spikes of Ophrys dyris which was a new species for my province list, along with Fan-lipped (Orchis collina), Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis Papillionacea), Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera), Woodcock (Ophrys Scolopax subsp picta) and Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca subsp fusca). 

Early Spider Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) ?????

Birds were few but we did see Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). Butterflies were numerous, with Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Cleopatra (Cleopatra / Gonepteryx cleopatra), Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea), Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus F lyllus), Small White (Artogeia rapae), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) and Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) all being recorded.

Bee Hives out on the hill side.

At this point I had to leave to go and meet Jayne so I left the others to walk back to their car and started the rough drive back down to the gate, about half way I picked up a nice big spike of Lizard Orchid (Himantoglossum hircinum) and a couple of Pyramidal Orchid (Orquidea pyramidal / Anacamptis pyramidalia) all of which were close to flowering. 

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis Papillionacea).

Then I picked up a very dark Ophrys species just by the side of the track which turned out to be a fine spike of Dark Spider and as we searched we found a couple of spikes which looked more like Early Spider, in the area I found several more spikes all in spot on condition but with variable colouration and lubelum shape. 

Prickly Poppy (Papaver argenone).

I then drove back up the hill and picked up the others and we all went back down and did some photos before I again left them to walk back down and I headed off nearly half and hour late to meet Jayne (good job she is very understanding).