Orchids

The Orchids of Lesvos make for a great distraction for the birdwatcher, especially during the middle of the day if it’s hot, and a fantastic holiday for the botanist.

There a number of particularly beautiful flowers on the island, including the very rare Himantoglossum comperianum (Komper’s Orchid), although our particular favourite is Platanthera holmboei (Holmboei’s Butterfly Orchid)

We’d strongly advise a copy of either “Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East” by Pierre Delforge or “Field Guide to Orchids of Britain and Europe” by Karl Peter Buttler, also “The Bee Orchids of Greece” by Zissis Antonopoulos is excellent.

It’s great fun finding them and for those like us, more fun trying to separate some of the species, especially the Ophrys family!
Our advice is unless you’re absolutely sure, take a photo just in case!

Key notes

The following site information is by no means an exhaustive list of the species found (for more details on species refer to the full list). However, the sites provide an excellent opportunity for the visitor to see much of what the island has to offer.
All these sites have been discovered by ourselves from a number of years exploring the island.
Without doubt there are other sites awaiting discovery, and some which we are aware of but have not listed here due to the sensitivity of the area/species or because the information has been given to us by third parties who wish to withhold the locations.
It is strongly advised that you purchase a copy of the road map code 212 of the island of Lesvos. With the exception of one site, all the others can be located using this map. The one that is not (site 16) has directions below.

Enjoy your time on the island and we’d appreciate any reports that you may have of these or other locations.

Click here for the document with all the details and links >>>

View the gallery >>>

Download the species list >>>