In 2009, I heard on television that, in about a hundred years, the emperor penguins of Antarctica will be almost extinct due to the rising temperatures of our planet, which will make living conditions and the incubation of these amazing birds difficult. Then, I thought about how many orchids we had 20-30 years ago! The rate at which our planet is being destroyed and animals and plants are disappearing is dramatic!

The book has come to an end. Over thirty years of research and work have been condensed into its six hundred twenty pages. It may not be perfect; perhaps for some species the research and study are incomplete, perhaps a certain photograph is not the most representative, perhaps there are more trips to explore all those areas we could not visit and all those species we could not take a closer look at and confirm - if possible - their existence. But the effort to present this inexhaustible wealth of our country has largely been successful. And we say "inexhaustible" because every day we learn something new, the species, the subspecies, the varieties of these beautiful and wonderful flowers that surround us and continue to amaze us are becoming more and more numerous.

Dear reader, together we will discover the fascinating and amazing world of the orchids of Greece. Great effort has been made to simplify the presentation and make it understandable, in the best possible way, to the ever-growing number of new species, subspecies, and varieties.

We believe that this edition constitutes a complete record of all names and species reported in Greece, up to mid-2014. However, it seems that two to three species are not found in Greece. Nevertheless, we included them so that interested parties can recognize them if they encounter them and to complete the record and listing of Greek wealth.

Of course, research into the discovery, study, and clarification of certain species does not end. The journey into the amazing and enchanting world of orchids continues...