Orchids
Burnt Orchids, Brenne; a fairly common species of unimproved grassland
Orchid gallery
Main sources of reference;
Les Orchidees Sauvages de la Region Centre, Societe d'Orchidophilie Centre Loire (published by them), 2002. Indispensible
The order of orchid species follows this guide
Field Guide to the Orchids of Britain and Europe, Karl Peter Buttler, The Crowood Press Ltd, 1991
Orchids of Europe
Good orchid identification site
SFO - Société Française d'Orchidophilie de Poitou-Charentes et Vendée
French regional orchid society
Indre Nature
Orchid list departement Indre (inc. Brenne)
List of orchid species observed in the VIENNE/BRENNE WITHIN AN HOURS DRIVE OF MOULISMES, since our arrival in January 2006. The abundance guide may help if you live in or are staying in the general area. It is based only on my observations since January 2006, and may or may not reflect the true status within the area. English, French and Latin names used
1 = Very common
2 = Fairly common
3 = Scarce
4 = Rare or localised
AUTUMN LADY’S-TRESSES - Spiranthe d'automne - Spiranthes spiralis - 4
LESSER BUTTERFLY ORCHID - Orchis a deux feuilles - Platanthera bifolia - 4
GREATER BUTTERFLY ORCHID - Orchis verdatre - Platanthera chlorantha - 1
FRAGRANT ORCHID - Orchis moucheron - Gymnadenia canopsea - 4
BRENNE ORCHID - Orchis de la Brenne - Dactylorhiza brennensis - 4
Brenne Orchid; a rare endemic, split from Robust Marsh Orchid in 1988
SOUTHERN MARSH ORCHID - Orchis neglige - D. praetermissa ssp. praetermissa - 4
HEATH-SPOTTED ORCHID - Orchis macule - D. maculata ssp. maculata (with intermediate central lobe) - 4
HEATH SPOTTED ORCHID - Orchis des bruyeres - D. maculata ssp. ericetorum (with small central lobe, only on damp heath/acidic soil) - 3
COMMON SPOTTED ORCHID - Orchis de Fuchs - Dactylorhiza fuchsii - 2
LOOSE-FLOWERED ORCHID - Orchis a fleurs laches - Orchis laxiflora - 2
GREEN-WINGED ORCHID - Orchis bouffon - Orchis morio - 2
EARLY PURPLE ORCHID - Orchis male - Orchis mascula - 1
BURNT ORCHID - Orchis brule - Orchis ustulata - 2
MILITARY ORCHID - Orchis militaire - Orchis militaris - 4
MONKEY ORCHID - Orchis singe - Orchis simia - 2
LADY ORCHID - Orchis pourpre - Orchis purpurea - 3
Lady Orchids, Brenne; essentially a woodland species, here it is localised but not rare
MAN ORCHID - Orchis homme pendu - Aceras anthropophorum - 3
PYRAMIDAL ORCHID - Orchis pyramidal - Anacamptis pyramidalis - 2
LIZARD ORCHID - Orchis bouc - Himantoglossum hircinum - 2
TONGUE ORCHID - Serapias en langue - Serapias lingua - 3
FLY ORCHID - Ophrys mouche - Ophrys insectifera - 2
EARLY SPIDER ORCHID - Ophrys araignee - Ophrys sphegodes - 2
SMALL SPIDER ORCHID - Ophrys litigieux - Ophrys araneola - 4
BEE ORCHID - Ophrys abeille - Ophrys apifera - 2
NARROW-LEAVED HELLEBORINE - Cephalanthere a longues feuilles - Cephalanthera longifolia - 2
RED HELLEBORINE - Cephalanthere rouge - Cephalanthera rubra - 3
SMALL-LEAVED HELLEBORINE - Epipactis a petites feuilles - Epipactis microphylla - 4
BROAD-LEAVED HELLEBORINE - Epipactis a larges feuilles - Epipactis helleborine - 2
MUELLER’S HELLEBORINE - Epipactis de Muller - Epipactis muelleri - 4
MARSH HELLEBORINE - Epipactis des marais - Epipactis palustris - 4
Like the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, the Marsh Helleborine is a rare and difficult to find Brenne species
VIOLET LIMODORE - Limodore a feuilles avortees - Limodorum abortivum- 2
BIRD’S NEST ORCHID - Neottie nid d'oiseau - Neottia nidus-avis - 4
COMMON TWAYBLADE - Listere ovale - Listera ovata - 3
Total 32 species 11/6/09 (+1 sub-species)