WILD ORCHIDS

This week a new world opened up to me, the world of the wild orchid.

Are humans an invasive species?

I share my olive grove with my sisters and my partner, our cats and a singular dog (Spike), a whole lot of feral cats, tons of birds, wild boar, deer, lizards, snakes, mice, around 50 olive trees, lots of insects, a dribbling stream, mycelium and countless wild plants. This is all of the living beings I’ve seen so far with my two eyes, the list of wild inhabitants of this shared space can go on for quite a while, and I still have much to explore/learn. This week, I made a discovery of this nature - there are wild orchids. They showed up about a week ago, in mid-may, and the beauty of them was alluring and called out to me from the busy meadow.

I circulate this meadow around 25 times per day. I know the precise number because it takes me around 3 minutes to walk at a brisk pace around the entire perimeter of our grove, which I walk laps around for an hour and a bit each morning. During this hour I notice. I take stock of what’s new and who’s been there. I know when a new poop shows up from another animal, I can see places they’ve eaten from, holes they’ve dug. I notice new growth among the plants, and most of all I notice the flowers.

I have a primal attraction to flowers, a longing that can only be described as originating from deep within me, an animal place I have little influence over. I am drawn into their gorgeous geometry, bright colors, sweet scents. Everywhere I travel they are the first thing I notice, there is a system in my mind that ranks places I’ve been based on their plant life. When I smell jasmine my mind immediately jumps to Ischia, when I smell Neroli (orange blossom) I’m transported to Marechiaro, Napoli. When I see Wisteria I am brought back to living in London and being taken with a gorgeous cottage covered with the bushy purple flowers. Living in the Netherlands was a real delight when it comes to flowers, and I do long for the dutch flower craze in the warmer months, city gardens in Amsterdam blooming with the most gorgeous display. Now that I’m living here in Umbria, I get to experience another delight, the delight of meadow wildflowers.

We have decided to keep our olive grove as wild as possible, letting a wild meadow thrive in between the paths we create for ourselves by walking them 25 times per day. This means that I am continuously delighted with the spontaneous plants that create this little ecosystem. The grove’s location, nestled in a sunny valley, makes it favorable to the more delicate spontaneous plants, so we have quite a variety. It hasn’t really been farmed in the traditional sense, the people who lived here before us for 30 years didn’t really have an interest in tending to it, so it’s got a gorgeous little habitat going on for the gems of the natural world.

Adriatic Lizard Orchid

Finding wild orchids!

This week I discovered 4 types of wild orchids in our olive grove. The first one that caught my eye was the Adriatic Lizard Orchid. The shape of the orchid’s flowers are reminiscent of little purple lizards climbing into a little flower. Tail and legs sticking out. When I started to look into this flower, I learned that this is a rare orchid that is found only in this region of the world. The websites I found information from mentioned that its to be protected as there are not so many left, which filled me with so much joy. They are rare and we have around 8 in full bloom in our little protected habitat.

The second one I found was the Bee Orchid. The Bee Orchid has the same thing going on, it looks from afar like a fuzzy bee that has landed on a flower, bum sticking out. Yet, when you look a little closer, you see its actually a flower, mimicking a female bee to attract male pollinators. After learning that we have these two wild orchids my mind was blown, I couldn’t believe my luck! Little did I know there are even MORE!!

The third Orchid I spotted was the Pyramidal Orchid, with its cute pink head that peeks out through the tall grass. And the latest sighting was another variety of Bee Orchid, only this time it has white petals instead of pink.

Witnessing Nature’s rhythm

I guess this could be named the week of the wild orchid, and for that it was a great week. I love May / Maggio and I am thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of the wild meadow where I live. I consider myself infinitely lucky and privileged to be its witness. My goal is to continue documenting my noticings over time. This is only the start of my relationship with this specific piece of earth, and the unraveling is so exciting and inspiring. I feel proud to protect it and joyful to be included in the going ons.

I am now offering a way for others to take part in this ecosystem through my Slow Goods Subscription / Abonamento, where I encapsulate the subtle magic of each season. With earth as medium, the intention is to deepen my connection with nature and help others to do so too.