Did
anyone think to bring a bullwhip? A pity because after last week’s leisurely
stroll Along The Ardefsi I have a
feeling that today’s excursion is going to be a bit more Indiana Jones. Our
objective, ladies and gentlemen, is to examine the area around and on top of
that grasping claw-like edifice down there. There’s a second one in the
distance, beyond the ardefsi. It’s not hard to imagine one of the Giants of
Greek mythology, Pallas or Porphyrion say, taking a breather during their
battle with The Gods and resting here with his hands upon his knees, gazing
out to sea wondering how and when the battle would end. From such landscapes
were the Greek myths concocted. The Giants lost by the way, after a bit of
chicanery from Zeus prevented Ge from finding a magic herb. Anyhow let’s get
down there and see what magic herbs and other wonders of nature we can locate
today.
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| Darkling Beetle, Lower Chafer and Long-horned Beetle |
Now
somehow we’ve got to find a way up there but before we do it seems we are in
the middle of a beetle drive. Firstly, when we left the road we had a little
Darkling Beetle mooching about on that parasitic Dodder plant that we came
across a couple of weeks ago (rather worryingly it has now spread to a second
clump of Cretan Ebony thirty paces further down the hill). Then, here on this
Cistus we have a Flower Chafer, a name it derives from the Old English word ceafor meaning beetle. And finally, our
friend from last week, the Long-horned Beetle tucking into another Asphodel.
Three beetles from three different families, that’s a good start to the day.
 |
| Honey Bees on Sage |
Well,
that wasn’t too bad was it? Now we’re up on top of the Giant’s hand the views
are stupendous and the air is full of the scent of wild herbs and the soft
drone of pollinating insects. It seems as if we have entered a honey factory.
It’s this purple flowering Sage that seems to be attracting the Honey Bees. Not
all bees make honey of course; of the twenty thousand or so known species of
bee there are only seven species that make the honey for our table. The sage that they’re working on is a
wonderful plant. Apart from being a delicious accompaniment to pork dishes it
has been recommended for virtually every ailment known to man at various times.
Even its scientific name, Salvia, comes
from the Latin salvere meaning to
save. Modern research has proved it to have many useful properties from
anti-sweating agents to blood fat reduction through to the management of mild
to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Perhaps this was the magic herb that Ge was
looking for before Zeus thwarted her plans.
 |
| Great Tit in the Pines |
Let’s
leave the honey bees to their industry and go and rest awhile in the shade of
the fir trees. Isn’t it amazing how they seem to grow out of solid rock? Lying
here is like listening to nature’s orchestra with the bees providing the bass
drone, the crickets and grasshoppers on percussion and the birds providing the
melodies. The greenfinches and the chaffinches counterpointing one another and
the loud pitchoo of the great tit providing
the main theme. It’s strange; although
the Great Tit is quite common in these parts I’ve never seen a Blue Tit down
here. I’ve seen them in Rethymno and on the Omalos Plateau but never here in
Lassithi. I wonder if there is a line
across the island beyond which they will not venture.
[A quick survey for those of you who live on the island – let me know
where you do see (and where you don’t see) Blue Tits on Crete and I’ll try to
build up a map.]
 |
| Mediterranean Slant-faced Grasshopper Nymph |
If
we stroll along the Giant’s forearm towards its elbow, as it were, I fancy
we’ll find a somewhat less arduous way of getting back to our start point. Quite
a few more orchids among the stones here and a little Restharrow I haven’t seen
before… and who’s this lurking at my feet? A young Mediterranean Slant-faced
Grasshopper. Do you remember the cheeky adult which perched on my pack up at The Hidden Plateau? This is a youngster of a
closely related species. Between egg and adult insects have two different ways
of growing up. Some, like the beetles and butterflies hatch into larvae and eat
like mad for a bit before going into a sort of suspended animation called a
pupa where they change their body shape completely. This is known as complete
metamorphosis. Others such as grasshoppers and crickets don’t entertain all
that palaver but hatch as miniature adults, gradually changing their appearance
in a series of moults as they grow bigger. This is known as incomplete
metamorphosis. The various stages are called instars and, particularly the late
instars when they are almost fully grown but look quite different to the mature
adult, can fool you into thinking that you have found a completely new species.
So we’ll photograph this little chap and add him to our species record for
future reference. So, a pleasant perambulation back through this garden of The
Gods and then a little lunch somewhere I think.
Until
next week – happy hunting.
***********************************************************************************
With
special thanks this week to Michael Geiser,
Cosmin Manci and Apostolos Trichas of the Coleoptera Group for
providing me with detailed information on the various subfamilies of
the Tenebrionidae Darkling beetles and also to Axel Hochkirch at The Orthopterists' Society for recognising the Mediterranean
Slant-faced Grasshopper nymph and suggesting the species.
LINKS:
Naturalists
(the facebook page that accompanies this blog)
HA! - Excellent text this week. The scene for the drama is rather uniqe for all of Crete.There must have been sequences of geological faults and up/down movements. Water has worked, naturally. There could be hidden prehistoric sites from 9000 BC onwards. You live in an interesting part of Crete . And you certanly explore your part thourouly - while we other pass Ferma half sleeping in our fast cars.
ReplyDeleteI remember the smell of oregano up in the hills
ReplyDelete