Orchids of the Gargano National Park, Puglia

The Gargano National Park covers an area of 1200km2 and is reputed to have the highest density of wild orchids in the whole of Europe. There are between 80 and 90 different orchid species present depending on the authority you consult. To put this into context, that is around a fifth of the orchid species of Europe, and a representative of each major genus. This means that there are other orchid species to see in Europe, but generally speaking, most species will have only minor variations to the forms seen in the Gargano. If you want to see the wild orchids of Europe, this is the place to come.

I felt there needed to be a guide to the area, that told visitors to the Park where to look for orchids. What I wanted to impart to the reader was where to find the orchids in this park to fully appreciate this truly unique area. But also I wanted to aid in the identification of the species seen, and then give pointers to increase one’s appreciation of the wonderful diversity between, and within, the different species.

I hope this guide goes some way to achieving this aim.