Customer service really matters to us.
It should go without saying that clear and prompt communication is important; as is the simple principle of treating people as we'd like to be treated ourselves. We know it's disappointing when other companies fail to do that - but that's not the Mariposa way.
A handful of the testimonials received from our Orchids of Rhodes guests
A tiny handful of the orchids seen on our Orchids of Rhodes tour
55 orchid taxa found last year alone, 2 of Europe's most determined orchid-hunters as your guides, 1 beautiful Greek island, and a donation made to @bsbibotany.bsky.social after every orchid tour, since our very first one.
There's only one #OrchidsOfRhodes tour, and it's worth waiting for. #orchids
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea) with a pollinating bee, the orchid's pollinia adhering to the bee's head, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
My #CountdownToRhodes begins here - daily doses of bright wildflower cheer in the days before the @mariposanature.bsky.social #OrchidsOfRhodes season, replacing the murk of this long, wet winter with some joyous #bloomscrolling on your timelines. Here's Pink Butterfly Orchid - and a pollinating bee.
Scrub robin artwork from Birds of Greater Southern Africa fieldguide © Brian Small
Mediterranean Flycatcher (Muscicapa tyrrhenica) © Michele Viganò
Western Olivaceous Warbler (Iduna opaca), first record for Britain, Whalsay, Shetland, October 2023 © Jon Dunn
Cover of The Glitter in the Green - In Search of Hummingbirds, by Jon Dunn
Yes, we like birds too... and we're not just saying that because it's what we think you want to hear.
Many of Team Mariposa's leaders have some birding credentials in addition to their keen interest in other aspects of natural history... (1/5 🧵)
Canary Skipper (Thymelicus christi) © David Moore
Tenerife landscape © Dr Richard Bate
Canary Speckled Wood (Pararge xiphioides) © Dr Richard Bate
There's gold in those hills...
The volcanic landscape of Tenerife hides some gorgeous butterfly treasures, including these two gems - Canary Skipper and Canary Speckled Wood.
We'll be there for Butterflies of Tenerife in late March, and you could join us:
mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
The Dark Red Helleborine is one of my favourite #orchid species and I'm leading a tour on Hutton Roof to find some for @mariposanature.bsky.social in July. Our tours support @bsbibotany.bsky.social and this tour supports @cumbriawildlife.bsky.social
Join us - www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
Ophrys sipontensis, Orchids of the Gargano Peninsula © Jon Dunn
Ophrys oxyrrhynchos, Orchids of Sicily © Jon Dunn
Tour news 🚨 the Italian Job
More 2027 orchid tours now available to book on our website, with dates announced this morning for Orchids of the Gargano Peninsula, and Orchids of Sicily.
We may not blow the bloody doors off. But we aim to blow your socks off.
mariposanature.com/calendar
Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie), Spring Butterflies of Andalusia © Clive Burrows
Fatma's Bavius Blue (Pseudophilotes fatma), Spring Butterflies of Marvellous Morocco © David Moore
Italian Marbled White (Melanargia arge), Spring Butterflies in Abruzzo © Marco Bonifacino
False Comma (Nymphalis vaualbum) False Comma & Summer Butterflies of Serbia © Janos Olah
Tour news 🚨
We've launched the first tranche of our 2027 butterfly tours on our website today. Lots to choose from, including Andalusia, Morocco, Abruzzo & Serbia, and many more to follow!
All generate donations to support the great work of @europebutterfly.bsky.social
mariposanature.com/calendar
Wonderful!!! Huge congratulations to you all ❤️
Canary Island Three-fingered Orchid (Habenaria tridactylites), Orchids of Tenerife © Jon Dunn
Gennaria diphylla, Orchids of Tenerife © Jon Dunn
Green with envy... we've spent today exploring the wooded areas and forest margins of Tenerife, in search of two special green orchids - Canarian endemic Habenaria tridactylites, and shy Mediterranean & Macaronesian specialty Gennaria diphylla. Both seen very well indeed! 💚
Lesser Fiery Copper (Lycaena thersamon), Butterflies of North Greece © Jon Dunn
Ophrys ortuabis, Orchids of Sardinia © Michele Vigano
Our January sale on 2026 tours with remaining spaces available to book upon them finishes tomorrow - any week-long 2026 tour booked before 1 February qualifies for £100 off the list price.
Full list of tours & availability of places here on our website:
www.mariposanature.com/calendar
Ophrys lucis, Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica), Orchids of Rhodes © Jon Dunn
Tour update 🚨
We know we're the #1 choice for orchid-hunting holidays, and our guests know it too. Four more places on our flagship #OrchidsOfRhodes went today, just three places left available for 2028. The 2026 & 2027 tours are both long fully booked...
www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) on Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) © Clive Burrows
While many of our tours are fully booked, there are still just a few places left available on some of our butterfly or orchid tours in 2026.
Until 1 February, we're offering £100 off those final places - so you've a week left to bag a discount. 😊
www.mariposanature.com/calendar
It's no exaggeration to say the #OrchidsOfRhodes tour that my good pal @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social and I have developed is something of a love story. We love looking for orchids all over Europe and beyond. We love sharing them with guests. And we love seeing the joy the tours bring to all involved.
Planalto Hermit (Phaethornis pretrei), Brazil © Jon Dunn
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FeedingTime. Here's a Planalto Hermit feeding at a heliconia in Brazil. I will never cease to be in awe of hummingbirds - as the great nature writer Tim Dee said to me, they're birds 2.0, an upgrade.
#Birds #Photography #Hummingbird #NaturePhotography #EastCoastKin
Ophrys chestermanii © Michele Viganò
Ophrys normanii © Michele Viganò
Good morning & welcome to a new week.
This week's featured tour is Orchids of Sardinia, and it's the only 2026 orchid tour with any remaining availability! It's a guaranteed departure, and generates a donation to support the work of @bsbibotany.bsky.social. (1/2)
mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
Meanwhile, Mariposa co-founder and tour leader @dunnjons.bsky.social is busy writing a new orchid book this winter. He says it's a fine distraction from the snow falling sideways outside his Shetland home.
We'll be sharing more insights into our leaders' wild lives in the coming days and weeks. 😉
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) on Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) © Clive Burrows
Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) on Long-spurred Orchid (Anacamptis longicornu) © Jon Dunn
Happy New Year from us all here at Team Mariposa!
Wishing you a year ahead filled with friendship, happiness, good health, and wildlife wonders.
Butterflies and orchids will always have a special place in our hearts, so how better to celebrate the dawn of a new year than with them.
Goodyera macrophylla, Madeira © Jon Dunn
Goodyera macrophylla, Madeira © Jon Dunn
As we close in on the turn of the year, here are my top three natural history moments of 2025. Starting today with Goodyera macrophylla, seen on Madeira with @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social. A hugely rare #orchid, sure, but the experience made all the better for being shared with a top friend.
In July 2026, the brilliant Pallas's Fritillary & Late Summer Butterflies of Hungary tour Jon was co-leading this year will feature another close friend and core Team Mariposa leader alongside János, the superb butterfly ecologist @jpcancela.bsky.social. (2/2)
www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
Building strong relationships with the countries we visit, the family-operated hotels whose warm hospitality we enjoy, and the local guides we work with, is a core part of our ethos. Jon and János have been friends for over 15 years, and János is a core and highly valued part of Team Mariposa. (1/2)
Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) © Jon Dunn
Violet Copper (Lycaena helle) © Clive Burrows
Violet Copper (Lycaena helle) © Clive Burrows
Tour update 🚨
As of this afternoon, our Spring Butterflies of the French Pyrenees tour is now a guaranteed departure in May 2026. We love returning to the butterflies here, and we love the donation it generates to help the work of @europebutterfly.bsky.social.
mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
Another of the dozens of exquisite Ophrys bee orchid species we see annually on our #OrchidsOfRhodes tour - the ultimate orchid-hunting holiday on Rhodes. Understandably, it's extremely popular - just 3 places remain available to join us there in 2027:
mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
If you're heading into town today on a Christmas present-shopping mission, and are feeling a little short of inspiration, why not consider giving an orchids of Kent day-trip as a gift?
There are two dates to choose from (30 or 31 May). Full details on our website:
mariposanature.com/calendar
Rhodes Fritillary (Fritillaria rhodia), Rhodes © Jon Dunn
We thought it would be fun to do a countdown to #Christmas - twelve seasonal songs with a wildlife twist!
Starting this evening with Jingle Bells, sung by Sinatra because, frankly, the golden bells of Rhodes Fritillary deserve none other.
youtu.be/-aQw3DoGuqs?...
Cover of 'Orchid Summer' by Jon Dunn. This account of a journey around Britain and Ireland in search of all the wild orchid species found there, their people past and present, and their colourful stories, was one of the Guardian's 'Best Books of the Year' in 2018.
Cover of 'The Glitter in the Green' by Jon Dunn. An account of a meandering journey across the Americas, from 60°N in Alaska to the very shores of the Beagle Channel in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego, in search of the most remarkable hummingbirds, their histories and place in culture, their people past and present, and their meaning and place in a world that's fast-changing. This book was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Non-fiction in 2022.
Blimey. There's suddenly a LOT more people here. Hello! For those who weren't on the bird site and don't already know, amongst other things, I write stuff, and with Christmas coming up, maybe a joyful book about orchids, or one about hummingbirds, might be a colourful antidote to winter and Now?
Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica), from the Mariposa Nature Tours 'Orchids of Rhodes' tour © Jon Dunn
The emperor has no clothes! Very much looking forward to sharing true stories about the little man of Rhodes - and other orchid tales - with @bsbibotany.bsky.social conference attendees this weekend. See you there.
Meleager's Blue (Meleageria daphnis) © Clive B
Spanish Purple Hairstreak (Laeosopis roboris) © Clive B
Like all our butterfly tours, Summer Butterflies of the Spanish Pyrenees next July offers ample opportunities for guests to take their time to enjoy their photography, and to take home beautiful lasting memories.
#NaturePhotography
Shopping trolley, half submerged in black water, surrounded by fallen autumn leaves © Jon Dunn
Every autumn, millions of animals migrate south in search of warmer climes in which to overwinter.
Sadly, some don’t survive the journey. Migration is a testing time for the young and inexperienced. This Morrisons trolley won’t reach its wintering grounds, nor return to breed next spring.
Ophrys lacaitae © Michele Viganò
Ophrys lunulata © Jon Dunn
Just three places remain available now to join us next year for our Late Spring Orchids of Sicily tour, led by 'Orchid Summer' author Jon Dunn, and local Sicilian naturalist legend Andrea Corso. As the Sicilians say, amuninni!
www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
