To some people, orchids are simply flowers, nice to see but ultimately not that interesting. You people, stop reading now! This post is aimed at the real nature-lovers; the ones who'll love Montenegro for the incredible array and number of wild orchids you can spot if you're in the right place at the right time. Take Lake Skadar National Park, where I live and co-host our lake adventures. Come April, the first of the marsh orchids arrive. Early Purple Orchids (Orchis mascula) and the yellow Elder-flowered Orchid (Dactylorhiza sambucina) can be found sprouting at road edges, by rocks and filling the grassy meadows. Hot on their heels comes the Bee Orchid (Ophrys scolopax), named for obvious reasons. This one delights with its incredible replica of a bee, right down to its scent, to get itself pollinated. Bee orchids are easy to spot on our hikes along the lake's hillside trails, once you realise they're not, actually, bees! Popping pink Pyramid Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) and the maroon-hued Tongue Orchid (Serapias vomeracea) are common to see from May through June, while Monkey Orchids (Orchis simia) are a real rarity - I've seen a handful in all my years of Springtime hiking here. These are the celebrity orchids of Montenegro - reclusive and with outrageous, monkey-like petal hairstyles. By June, orchard season starts to fade in Montenegro's hotter south, but it's still possible to see some stunners at Lake Skadar. Just yesterday, I found a cluster of Lizard Orchid (Himantoglossum) at the road's edge, metres from our guesthouse Villa Miela. Long tongues poking out, they were quite the distraction on my morning run; impossible to pass without stopping to admire and take some photos! One of the greatest things about Montenegro for orchid lovers is this country's ability to halt time. Just as orchid
To some people, orchids are simply flowers, nice to see but ultimately not that interesting. You people, stop reading now! This post is aimed at the real nature-lovers; the ones who’ll love Montenegro for the incredible array and number of wild orchids you can spot if you’re in the right place at the right time.
