Archidona area, Malaga Province.

A day with the masters of Orchids.

Yellow Bee Orchids (Ophrys lutea).

I spent a cracking morning with some of the top Orchid botanists in our area and listened to a couple of very interesting lectures given by Manuel Becerra Parra and Jose Antonio Díaz Romera. 

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea).

It was also good to meet some old faces and met some new ones who had up till then just been names and photo's on Facebook.

Orchis x gennarii (O. papilionacea x O. champagneuxii).

Later we went for lunch and the out doing some photography, we visited a site just out side of the town of Archidona. In the first few minutes Damián Quintana showed us a superb patch of Pink Butterfly Orchids (Anacamptis papilionacea) with a few Yellow Bee Orchids (Ophrys lutea) dotted in with them. 

Pheasant's Eye (Adonis annua).

We continued walking around the site and soon added Southern Early Purple (Androrchis Olbiensis), Mirror (Ophrys speculum) and then the star of the day for me 6 spikes of the stunning hybrid Orchis x gennarii (O. papilionacea x O. champagneuxii). 

Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).

We again continued on and found Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera), Conical Orchid (Neotinea conica), more of the Hybrids and lots of other wildflowers including Pheasant's Eye (Adonis annua), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) and Shepherds Needles (Scandix pecten-veneris).

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

On the wonder around the area I also picked up a few bird species as well including Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica). 

Conical Orchid (Neotinea conica).

I had to leave the group quite early as Jayne and I were heading out for the evening for an Indian meal with our friend from the Good Fork Club in Loja.