Out
& About
Crocus-leaved Romulea (Romulea bulbocodium) |
However,
the sun has managed to break out this morning so let us walk along by
the normally dry river beds and see and hear them gushing with
exuberance. Alongside the Poppy
Anemones, Mandrakes and Friar's Cowls that we saw in Toplou
Gorge
earlier this month the Broad-leaved Anemones, (Anemone
hortensis)
and Salad Rocket (Eruca
sativa) have
also started to come into flower. Not that I'm into making salads in
this weather, it's more a time for hot soups – but more of that in
Fieldcraft and Foraging. I see that we also have this delightful
little Crocus-leaved Romulea (Romulea
bulbocodium)
down here by the side of the track. Named after Romulus, the
legendary founder of Rome due to its preponderance in the Roman
countryside apparently.
Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris ssp. suffriana) |
Insects
have been a bit scarce but the beetles are starting to make an
appearance including a January favourite, The Green Tiger Beetle
(Cicindela
campestris ssp.
suffriana).
Photographing
them when they are on the move is somewhat difficult as they can zoom
along at over 20kph so it's best to catch them when they are
otherwise, ahem, preoccupied. I think we'll leave them to it.
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) |
Birds
too have been a bit thin on the ground (and in the air for that
matter) but I see that we are being accompanied by our old friends
Huginn and Muninn, the Ravens from the nearby elevation of the 40
Saints.
The other birds to look out for at this time of year are the
Wagtails. As yet I've only seen the White Wagtails (Motacilla
alba) but
the Yellows, Greys and others will doubtless soon fly in during the next month or two.
I'll
tell you what, there's a lot of fallen leaves about, beginning to rot
down in the wet. You grab a handful while I try to find a resealable
bag. We'll take them back to the lab later and see who's living down
there.
Fieldcraft
& Foraging
Now,
you can't have helped but notice this little yellow flower, Wood
Sorrel (Oxalis pes-caprae). Along with other Sorrels in the
genus Oxalis it has been eaten around the world for millennia.
It has a slightly lemony taste and the leaves are quite thirst
quenching on a hot day. There have been concerns over its toxicity as
it contains oxalic acid (but so too does broccoli, grapefruit and
spinach) and the risks to people with normal kidney function are
virtually non-existent. Personally, I like to use it is a garnish on
soups, salads and that old 1970's favourite; the prawn cocktail.
Which gives me a chance to introduce another new section: Steve's
Wild Kitchen where I'll be posting original recipes using the
food that we forage on our little walks. Enjoy.
In
The Lab
Somewhere
in my bag I should have that leaf litter sample that you collected
earlier. The proper way to extract creepy crawlies from leaf litter
is by using a Berlese Funnel (available from Watkins
& Doncaster for about £170 pounds including VAT).
If,
like me, your budget doesn't quite run to that at the moment you can
knock up your own for under a quid until you've saved up enough for the real thing.
Put a 60p funnel from your local
market into an old jam jar, stuff a bit of old mosquito netting over
the spout, cover the top with clingfilm and stick it under an angle
poise lamp. (For the solar powered model put it outside in the sun
with a sheet of glass on top).
We'll also need something to catch the
critters when they fall through (which they will as they don't like
the heat) and the professionals use industrial ethyl alcohol.
Personally I use raki (the local moonshine) which has exactly the same effect but
the insects die happier.
Right,
we'll leave that for a day or two and then come back and see what
we've got...
which is; a centipede, a couple of snakefly larvae
(which are no more flies than butterflies are), another larva of
indeterminate origin and a pair of very small beetles. A varied
little haul.
And
if you haven't had enough of me waffling on yet, and it's still
raining outside, you can always snuggle down in the warm with an
earlier series of #CreteNature using the catch-up links below.
Crete
Nature Catch-up
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Sponsored by SVCwithEtsy https://svcwithetsy.etsy.com
And
if you still haven't had enough...
Not
Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels A light-hearted look at life through the eyes of the fairer sex. Kindle Edition 1.99 pounds sterling (or equivalent). Paperback Edition 4.99 pounds sterling (or equivalent).. Read snippets, samples and stuff at Steve's Books |
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LINKS:
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the region with the #CreteNature interactive Hiking
and Nature Map
Cool! Thankyou broo
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