la ballerina

...today is our last day of this trip to Toscana so we have been busy scrubbing the house, cutting the grass, packing, and loading the car. An early start tomorrow, will see us heading up to the Mont Blanc Tunnel and, then, halfway across France, where we will stop for the night at our usual hotel in the Champagne region.

On one of our olive grove walks last week, I was pointing out a man orchid (Aceras anthropophorum) to my sister when Lena let out a scream! We turned around to see what had made her jump. Apparently, she had seen a 'huge' snake that had hissed at her and slithered off. It was almost certainly a western whip snake but my attempt to confirm this proved fruitless.

This afternoon, I went back to see if it had returned as snakes don't have a huge territory and frequently use the same basking spot. Unfortunately, it was a no show so I decided to snap the orchid that had originally diverted my attention. These orchids are often overlooked as they are neither bright nor showy. In fact, even when they are seen, many don't realise they are orchids at all. Close up, however, they are really quite lovely and you can then see why they are called man orchids. Better still though, in Italy they are called La Ballerina...