This
is it, the Wildlife Hotel. It wasn't designed as such but is an
abandoned project that has been this way since before I arrived in
2004. Gradually the native plants have taken over the gardens and the
wildlife has moved in. Before we nose around though I'd just like to
draw your attention to these poppies down here. To me, poppies used
to be those red things that you wore on Remembrance Day or the mauve
things in the middle east that provided the world, for better or for
worse, with opium. I was quite surprised to learn that there were
nearly eight hundred species dotted around the world with nine here
on Crete alone including the familiar red and mauve ones. This
particular one is widespread but not very common on the island and is
called the Red horned-poppy. Presumably on account of that massive,
rampant seed pod.
The
other flower that is prevalent in this region is the endemic Cretan
ebony. This is acting like a magnet to the honey bees and I see that
some enterprising individual has placed a couple of hives on the
approach way. Don't worry, they won't bother you. You may think that
you look and smell pretty but you can't hold a candle to the Cretan
ebony. Just look at the air traffic control that's going on down
there at the hive – the bees take off and fly out bottom right and
approach and land from the top left.
The
air may be a-buzz with bees but there's not much in the way of bird
life up here today. I can hear Blackbird, Sardinian Warbler,
Chaffinch and Sparrow but ten years ago I used to see Buntings,
Flycatchers and Linnets up here quite regularly. A sad illustration
of the decline in European songbirds unfortunately. Populations of
the Spotted Flycatcher that I photographed on the balcony back in
2006, for instance, have dropped by a staggering 89% in recent
decades.
Let's
rest in the sun and admire the view for a while. There's some nice
grass to sit on or a flat rock if you'd prefer. As you can see, I've
bagged the one surviving sun lounger. Looks like I'm going to have to
share it though. This curious little insect is one of the hoppers.
There are four main groups: plant, leaf, frog and tree hoppers. I
think that this one is a leafhopper but they're all very similar
until you study them in detail. They all belong to the same order,
the hemiptera or true bugs, and are most closely related to the
cicadas which keep us entertained throughout the summer. Unlike the
cicadas however they do not announce themselves to the world in the
same deafening manner.
The
little hoppers are lovely but I like an insect that you can pick up
and make friends with; like this magnificent grasshopper. Isn't he a
beauty? I've just picked him up from among those wild oats down there
and he's taking being handled gently with equanimity. That's right,
you sit up there on my shoulder – pirates have parrots, why
shouldn't I have a grasshopper?
That
just about wraps it up for this week so it just leaves my new friend
and I to lead you back to where we started and next week we'll
investigate the top track above the village.
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and Nature Map
The ebony is so beautiful
ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite indicators heralding the arrival of Spring.
DeleteAt one time I thought it was the intense sun in Greece that made the poppies look such a dark red compared to the more orange/red where we live in the UK. But of course, as you say Steve, they are totally different species. What I did not know is, there are over 800 round the world. Thanks for that bit of info.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that there were quite so many too.
Delete