🌿Complex Beauty: Orchids & Orobanches of Southern Europe – Teresa Gagné & Denis Laplante

When picturing orchids in their native habitat, we are more likely to think of tropical rainforests than grassy European meadows. But the Orchidaceae are a diverse and widespread family, whose 28,000 species range from Greenland to Patagonia. While epiphytic tropical orchids may perch out of sight, high in the tree canopy, terrestrial temperate-zone orchids are often much more accessible.

This talk will showcase the variety, beauty and complexity of the terrestrial orchids of southern France & Spain. During a 6 week visit in May/June 2018, the presenters saw and photographed over 45 varieties of orchids. Among them were the bizzare lizard & tongue orchids, the fragrant vanilla orchid, spectacular woodcock and bee orchids, and members of another oddball family, the Orobanchaceae.

NV members Denis Laplante & Teresa Gagné are botanical field naturalists, who happened upon their first European orchids during a cycling trip to Brittany over 40 years ago.

This presentation will be online via Zoom.  On the Monday preceding the event, Nature Vancouver members will receive the Zoom link in the weekly e-News. Non-members are welcome and should Email denis@NatureVancouver.ca well in advance to register for the link.