Anacamptis pyramidalis

Anacamptis pyramidalis in Cabrieres D'Aigues. I saw a whole colony of these cheery, brightly colored wild orchids growing in the grassy limestone cut along the roadside! They made an awesome display.

Wild Orchids! Anacamptis pyramidalis (formerly Orchis pyramidalis)

Anacamptis pyramidalis blooming along the path at the Parc Ornithologique in La Camargue, France. This orchid has evolved to be pollianted by butterflies and moths in the family Lepidoptera (scaled winged butterflies and moths). It is native to the Mediteranean region. On the same day, I saw another 6 A. pyramidalis blooming in a sunny, grassy meadow just off the path (at approx. sea level). The prior day, I saw one blooming in a mountain meadow under pines at about 1000 feet. It appears to be a fairly adaptable and widespread orchid.