Orphys fusca ?

[borgcar]

Happy Christmas to everyone.
Today I took the opportunaty to go for a walk in the countryside. I came across these orchids and I would believe they are Orphys fusca but a quick search on this website, I found out that they could also be Ophrys mesaritica. Would it be possible to identify this flower through the picture attached?

Thanks for the help.

[MWP admin]

Very nice photo. Definitely Ophrys cf mesaritica or safer O. iricolor s.l.

The authentication of the plant is not certain because this plant is recorded from Mesara (and was believed to be endemic) hence this leads to the doubt on the Maltese population! The expert Delforge, thinks that our population is O. mesaritica while another expert - Paulus - tinks it's not.

[MWP admin]

PS what camera do you owe? - Excellent depth of field, focus and colours!

[borgcar]

Thanks for the reply and compliments on the photo. So every fusca flowering this time of the year must be mesaritica/iricolor. Am I correct?

I use a Nikon D90. I have been photographing flowers and Insects for the last couple of years and I have paid a special interest to Orchids.

To this particular photo I have used macro lens. On tripod and off-camera flash with a umbrella. Other times I would use a reflactor too.

[MWP admin]

Gosh how dedicated you are!

" So every fusca flowering this time of the year must be mesaritica/iricolor. Am I correct? "

In general yes, but there are rare species in the O. fusca sl and O. funerea sl which flowers also early, but not to complcate matters for you, you can consider them as O. mesaritica

[IL-PINE]

heh
as I always say, for me they are all Ophrys fusca

Happy feasts!

[borgcar]

Thanks for the help

[robcar]

Same here - for me they are all fusca!