Throughout my fifty five years I have always
appreciated the power of nature and the beauty of the countryside but I regret
to say that until ten years ago I could name but a handful of common birds,
even fewer wild plants and the world of insects was simply beetles, flies or
wasps.
Then I
moved to the Greek island of Crete and decided to put an end to my woeful
ignorance. I have been on a magical voyage of discovery and I invite you now to
join me for a year and together we will explore the wonderful array of life
that abounds us.
Let me
first furnish you with some maps and some basic information about the land
through which we’ll be travelling.
 | |||
| The Eastern Mediterranean |
The
unmarked island in the centre-left of the map is Crete with the European mainland
above, Asia to the right and Africa below.
 | |
| Lassithi |
At the eastern end of the island lies the prefecture of
Lassithi which is dominated by the Thriptis mountains which rise to just under
5,000 feet (1,500m). As we cross the narrow neck of the island between Pachia
Amos and Ierapetra, which is only seven and a half miles (12km), the first
thing you will notice is the change in temperature. Climatically we have now
left temperate Europe and joined the North African climate zone.
 |
| Ferma |
Turning left at Ierapetra we head east for another seven
miles until we reach the village of Ferma which is to be our base camp for the
next twelve months. So, join me next week as, butterfly net and binoculars in
hand, we set sail once again on our magical voyage of discovery. I’ll leave you
with a few pictures from the village which is to be your home for the next
twelve months and I look forward to your company.
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LINKS: Flowers of Crete
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LINKS: Flowers of Crete
Add Blog at OnToplist.com
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