Serapias lingua: A Numerous Sighting in Empordà

After lunch, our field route took us to a familiar location in Baix Empordà, a region conducive to Mediterranean flora. On this occasion, we had the pleasure of documenting a remarkable abundance of Serapias lingua, a perennial terrestrial orchid.

This orchid, commonly known as the Tongue Orchid, was present with excellent vitality. Its distinctive flowers, with the pendulous, tongue-shaped labellum that gives the species its name, displayed their typical colorations ranging from reddish to brownish. Many specimens clearly showed the characteristic single, black or dark purple callus at the base of the labellum, a key feature for its identification. The plants, typically growing between 10 and 30 cm tall, thrived in an open and sunny environment, characteristic of the wet meadows or forest clearings that this species commonly colonizes, confirming its preference for these habitat types in the heart of spring, which is its usual flowering period between April and June.

Despite being considered a common species in Catalonia and globally classified as «Least Concern» (LC) by the IUCN, the sight of such an abundant population is always a reminder of the richness and resilience of our natural heritage.