Dactylorhiza incarnata: pink wetlands
Observed on 6/9/2025
Note about the genus Dactylorhiza
Orchids of the genus Dactylorhiza are easily confused with each other. Therefore, observations of this genus may not be entirely accurate regarding the identified species.
Description
The Dactylorhiza incarnata, known as the Early Marsh-orchid or Flesh-colored Orchid, was the visual protagonist of one of our orchid stops in Berguedà. Although it was not the most exceptional find of the day, its presence was unavoidable: we located numerous specimens blooming in a fen (wet meadow), staining the green base of the meadow with many points of intense pink, characteristic of this species.
The discovery of the D. incarnata in this marsh, alongside other orchids such as Gymnadenia conopsea and Dactylorhiza maculata, demonstrates the environmental quality and soil moisture of this area. Its abundance, rather than its rarity, was what made this moment a spectacle of floristic richness within the Pre-Pyrenean ecosystem.
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