John and Gerry's    Orchids of Britain and Europe
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Northern Greece

Notable species :-

Anacamptis papilionacea ssp balcanica
Anacamptis papilionacea ssp septentrionalis
Anacamptis coriophora
Cephalanthera epipactoides
Ophrys aesculapii
Ophrys cephalonica
Ophrys epirotica
Ophrys grammica
Ophrys hansreinhardii
Ophrys hebes
Ophrys helenae
Ophrys hystera
Ophrys leucopthalma
Ophrys macedonica
Ophrys montenegrina
Ophrys miniscula
Ophrys negadensis
Ophrys olympiotissa
Ophrys reinhardiorum
Ophrys reinholdii
Ophrys sepoides
Ophrys zeusii
Orchis pinetorum
Orchis spizelii
Serapias politisii


                                                                                              Northern Greece
                               Ophrys hansreinhardii
                                 Ophrys leucopthalma
                                   Ophrys helenae


Areas of interest


* Voutsaras

This village is situated midway along the main E92 road from Ioannina to Igoumenitsa and is at the centre of a district largely comprising garrigue and mixed woodland that offers great opportunities for the orchid enthusiast. The area to the west of the village is particularly rich and within this area, the O Lofos Taverna offers not only great local cuisine but wild orchids in the front garden ! Ophrys minutula, Ophrys bicornis, Ophrys cerastes, Ophrys helenae, Ophrys attica, Ophrys ferrum-equinum, Ophrys labiosa, Anacamptis papilionacea ssp septentrionalis,
Anacamptis papilionacea ssp balcanica.

*
Vrosina

Situated on the E92 some 10kms west of Voutsaras, the road meanders southwards from Vrosina to a point south of the small town of Neraida and passes through terrain
comprising a mixture of garrigue, strip farming and mixed woodland that harbours many orchid species. Wetter areas (particularly roadside ditches) in the vicinity of Neraida can produce large colonies of Anacamptis coriophora. Orchis italica, Orchis pauciflora, Orchis quadripunctata, Ophrys epirotica, Ophrys bicornis, Ophrys sepoides, Ophrys helenae, Ophrys spruneri, Anacamptis coriophora, Anacamptis fragrans, Anacamptis papilionacea ssp septentrionalis.

 
* Delvinaki

From the town drive south as far as the E853, then head east for 200 metres and take the right hand turn to Kerasovo. The terrain along the entire length of this road varies from woodland and garrigue to abandoned agriculture and quarries but above all, is full of orchids ! Ophrys helenae, Ophrys zeusii, Ophrys attica, Ophrys macedonica, Ophrys miniscula, Ophrys epirotica, Ophrys sepoides, Ophrys leucopthalma, Ophrys labiosa, Ophrys grammica, Orchis spitzelii, Orchis quadripunctata, Orchis pauciflora, Orchis simia, Dachtylorhiza romana, Cephalanthera damasonium.

* Konitsa

From the town take the 20 north and for the first 12 kilometres this takes one through mixed woodland with occasional clearings and garrigue. The more open areas are rich in orchids.  Ophrys hansreinhardii, Ophrys grammica,  Ophrys herae, Ophrys hebes, Ophrys helenae, Neotinea tridentata, Anacamptis papilionacea ssp septentrionalis.

* Fragkades

From the village of Fragkades a single track road winds up to Negades (another small village) before winding back south to the main road that then heads west to Kipoi. This whole area produces orchids, albeit less abundantly than some other districts but is particularly noted for both Ophrys negadensis and Orchis pinetorum, though this latter species is a late flowerer and often elusive until the second week of May. It should be noted that severe weather can make the Negades road difficult for two wheel drive cars. Ophrys negadensis, Ophrys hebes, Ophrys helenae, Orchis spitzelli, Orchis pinetorum, Orchis simia, Orchis provincialis, Orchis quadripunctata


* Litochoro

From the E75 motorway take the Litohoro turnoff heading west towards mount Olympus. The rough ground on either side of the road from the BP gas station to the outskirts of the town looks unpromising but is in fact rich orchid country, particularly to the north of the highway. The ground is occasionally used for small scale military training but the army seemed unconcerned about the odd botanist ! Ophrys reinhardiorum,
Ophrys reinholdii, Ophrys attica, Ophrys minutula, Ophrys mammosa, Ophrys helenae, Ophrys cerastes, Ophrys leucopthalma, Ophrys herae, Anacamptis papilionacea ssp septentrionalis, Orchis simia.

* Elassona

This small city lies in the foothills to the south west of Mount Olympus and is a good base from which to explore the surrounding countryside. Roads converge on Elassona from all points of the compass and orchids can be discovered in the surrounding areas along all of them; perhaps of most interest however is the E65 road that heads towards Larissa. About 12 kilometres south of the city the newly constructed road climbs up into hills and its in this terrain that one can find many species of orchid, including some that have only recently been described. Ophrys spruneri, Ophrys ferrum-equinum, Ophrys olympiotissa, Ophrys mammosa, Ophrys reinhardiorum, Ophrys leucopthalma, Cephalanthera longifolia.

*
Foetina

From Elassona travel north and take the 13 at Mikro. This initially takes one through largely cultivated countryside until you reach the turning for Dolichi and after a further 2 kilometres the terrain becomes more rugged and hilly. From here the road all the way to Foetina offers spectacular views of Mount Olympus and excellent opportunities to discover orchids. Ophrys zeusii, Ophrys hebes, Ophrys mammosa, Ophrys reinhardiorum, Ophrys helenae, Ophrys macedonica, Ophrys spruneri, Orchis pallens, Orchis provincialis, Orchis simia, Himantoglossum caprinum.