Volunteers are being trained by an orchid expert in a project to find out the status of orchids growing wild in the Maltese Islands.

Among those who have already committed themselves to a nationwide orchid survey are pensioners, local naturalists and university students.

Running into its second year, the project includes field outings and training by an environmental conservation NGO on how to identify wild orchids.

Managed by Greenhouse Malta, the Wild for Orchids project aims to build a stronger conservation argument while keeping the Environment Resources Authority informed of any changes in the status of rare orchids.

At the first session held in Gozo, a group of volunteers were shown how to recognise and record all types of wild orchids, including very rare and disappearing species. The session was repeated at another meeting held in the Valletta premises of the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector.

Volunteers heard how adaptation of native orchids to local conditions makes them appear stunted yet this makes them specialised enough to meet the rigours of their environment on the exposed garigue.

Given the right training, a volunteer could even end up having their name mentioned in a scientific paper if they contributed in any small way to such a discovery

About 35 species of orchid, including three endemic species, are known locally. A number of these have become rare in the past few decades and a few are even presumed to be extinct. Botanical consultant and orchid expert Stephen Mifsud is hopeful that some of these, such as Bertolini’s Bee orchid, may be still out there, waiting to be rediscovered.

A single Butterfly orchid was last seen growing at Għajn Tuffieħa in the mid-1990s. Thought to be extinct, it reappeared at two sites in 2015, to the relief of botanists. There may be others still clinging to survival such as the Yellow Spider orchid, not seen since 1998.

As Mr Mifsud pointed out, when an endemic orchid, found only in the Maltese Islands, becomes extinct it is a loss for the entire world.

Different orchid species flower at different times which aid their identification. The survey period over the main flowering months from January to April will be extended next year to include other orchids which flower in October and December.

Spotting a rare species requires time and luck, according to Mr Mifsud who has had his discovery of two new orchids accepted by scientific peers and later published in the Journal of European Orchids.

“Don’t feel intimidated by scientific detail,” advises the botanist, urging citizen scientists to persevere.

A new endemic hybrid orchid found in the Maltese Islands. Photo: Stephen Mifsud

“If in doubt, take photos from several different angles. Given the right training, a volunteer could even end up having their name mentioned in a scientific paper if they contributed in any small way to such a discovery.”

Equipped with the right knowledge, and a ruler, volunteers will help update the existing knowledge on wild orchids. Wielding their newly acquired skills in stony or shrubby habitats, where orchids are most likely to be found, they will be able to refer to the field guide which was designed for this project.

Their only difficulty might be hybrid orchids. Individual orchids in a hybrid population can vary slightly, confounding taxonomists who try to pin down species. However these are not commonly seen.

Knowing how to detect small differences in colour and shape between the common Maltese spider orchid and much rarer species of orchids could lead to exciting discoveries. The Early spider orchid is notoriously difficult to identify. It was recently found in Gozo by Mr Mifsud.

The rare and endemic Maltese pyramidic orchid, known only to these islands, risked falling foul of a debate on the species when foreign taxonomists mistook it as belonging to a common species.

Fortunately for Malta’s biodiversity record, Mr Mifsud successfully defended the orchid as a distinct species in a taxonomic account published last year.

A reference book due out this autumn, Orchids of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud, is to be published in collaboration with Greenhouse Malta.