Autumn Lady’s Tresses – Spiranthes Spiralis

I found an orchid that I’d not seen before earlier this week – an Autumn Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes Spiralis). It’s a short orchid (around 15 cm) with tiny flowers (only around 6mm) that spiral around the stem in a very attractive way.

Autumn Lady's Tresses - Spiranthes Spiralis

Autumn Lady’s Tresses – Spiranthes Spiralis

It’s not in my Pyrenees flower books so took a bit of research to find out what it was. It likes calcareous soil and I think a more mediterranean climate than we get in most of the Pyrenees.

I found it in the Garganta de Escuain near the Miradores of Revilla which is all limestone. It’s quite low and in a sunny south facing spot and there are quite a few more mediterranean plants found there.

Autumn Ladys Tresses

Close up of the tiny flowers

Not the biggest or most showy orchid I’ve seen but very pretty in a delicate way and always nice to find something I’ve not seen before.

3 thoughts on “Autumn Lady’s Tresses – Spiranthes Spiralis”

  1. Phil

    Great photos (as always).

    How have the Western Pyrenees walks gone this year?

    Are they likely to be repeated in 2015?

    Best Wishes

    Graham

  2. Hi Graham,
    The week in June went really well and I’m heading back over to Navarra tomorrow for our September Western Pyrenees holiday.
    I’m currently working on the 2015 schedule and will be publishing dates on the website shortly and I expect we’ll do the Western Pyrenees next September again along with a new spring holiday in the Sierra de Guara (the pre-Pyrenees) late April or early May based at Alquezar and Rodellar. This is a great area with beautiful canyons carved into the limestone, cavepaintings, castles and the weather there is fanastic early season when we’ve still too much snow in the high Pyrenees.
    Hope to see you next summer Graham,
    Phil

  3. Hi Phil, Great photos as ever and really pleased the summer season has gone well for you all. It’s fantastic to see all the hard work you put in getting the just rewards that are well deserved.
    We visited Laruns at the end of August and explored a few local walks, the highlight being Lac d’Anglas along the GR10 from Gourette. I did a forest walk one afternoon a photographed some mushrooms that i was going to send you to see if you had come across them before.
    I also snapped a bird of prey on Montagne Vert from Bages that i could do with you identifying if you have the time? I had the pleasure of my first sighting of a Marmot and fairly close up at Portalet whilst the Mrs was shopping for the Port! Will send the photos next week if ok with you. Good luck and best wishes, Ian.

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