Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1440009
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JANUARY 2022 7 NATURE 37 wild orchids in Malta THAT 37 species of wild or- chids embellish our countryside for 6 months of the year is a fact that is unknown to most. These orchids are being highlighted by internationally acclaimed award winning nature photographer Johan Siggesson in his new cof- fee-table book titled 'Marvellous Malta - Where Wild Orchids Grow'. Artistic photography created during one orchid sea- son (2020-2021) shapes Sigges- son's book which he claims to be the first publication of its kind in Malta. "Most Maltese environmental news are of a negative charac- ter and rightly so, but I wanted to create something positive that highlights the somewhat limited but wonderful Maltese nature. We need to know what actually exist and what we can experience if we take the time to look." says Siggesson. The book is an aesthetic jour- ney through the intimate land- scape of Malta where we find these wild orchids growing right under our noses. Normally conducting his work in Africa, Asia, Scandina- via or other parts of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic strand- ed Siggesson and forced him to focus on local nature with his photography. Something he will focus on more in the fu- ture. Although living in Malta for 20 years, Siggesson has nev- er really worked locally for var- ious reasons but he is planning to change this with this first book in a series of books about Maltese nature. Siggesson con- tinues: "There are plenty of in- formative books about Maltese trees, insects, flower etc., but I never came across a coffee-ta- ble book that is more geared towards being beautiful than being informative. We find many similar books about Mdi- na, Valletta etc but not about Maltese nature. The book is an interesting merge between art and science." The long-await- ed orchid season starts a few weeks after the first heavy rains in September/October. Fol- lowing a long, scorching hot summer, these life-giving rains make way for the first orchids of the season. During the fol- lowing months, all the way un- til May, different species will emerge in various locations around our islands. With al- most 40 species in all, there is always a new one to look out for. At the time of writing it is generally accepted that we have 37 species of orchids in Malta. With minimal effort, you are likely to find about one third of them. The other 2/3 are extremely rare or even pos- sibly extinct. Unlike most or- chids around the world, all the species here in Malta grow on the ground. The future for our orchids does not look very promising. Orchids are hardy plants but are still unable to withstand the ongoing major destruction of natural habitats, which is a constant threat. This means that, sadly, most populations of Maltese orchids are on the decline.