No Place Like Home

Out & About

Spring is here at last. I don't know about you but it seems a lot longer than thirteen weeks since the winter solstice. One thing about spring is that life is so abundant that you don't have to go far to look for it. Come with me into the olive grove next door and I'll show you. Absolutely bursting with blooms: Poppies, Pimpernels, Mallow and Medicago, Shepherd's Needles and Vetch. I can see at least fourteen different flowers from here but the one I'm particularly interested in today is the ubiquitous Garland Daisy as they really attract the insects. Look, we've got a Mirid Bug, a little black Crabronid wasp, a hoverfly and three different beetles. Not a bad little haul.

Now, I need your help. As I was coming back from Ierapetra on Saturday (March 23^rd) I stopped off at the beach to have a look at the pink carpet of Catchfly that adorned the upper levels and I found myself surrounded by hundreds of Painted Ladies. These amazing little butterflies migrate from Africa to northern Europe but not usually in such quantity. I have had reports in of 'huge numbers counted over Israel and Cyprus' and also Rhodes and Nisyros. Locally they have been spotted from Ierapetra to Agios Fotia but not as far as Makry Gialos. So, keep your eyes peeled and please let me know of any sightings of large numbers either here on Crete or elsewhere in Europe as I am part of a project that has been monitoring their migration. * Also, in the weeks to come, look out for large numbers of their caterpillars. They are not fussy eaters and have been recorded on over 300 different plants so they may turn up anywhere. (Please use the comments box below – thanks).

Next, a bit of amazing nature. Come into the garden. About three years ago my Loquat tree gave up the ghost, it had rotted away at the base and I found it lying forlornly on the ground. I decided to leave it there as a natural part of the ecosystem. This year, however, I moved the bird table and needed a prop so the Loquat stump was pressed into service. As you can see, I didn't dig it into the earth, I just sort of wedged it in place. So, you can imagine my surprise when I found it sprouting new leaves. That is one incredible recovery.

Fieldcraft & Foraging

Meanwhile, I have a rocket in my pocket. Or to be more precise a few salad Rocket leaves (or Arugula in American English); Eruca sativa for the botanically minded. It has a lovely, peppery taste and I tend to pick leaves from the centre of the stem. They'll need a good wash as the Heath Snails also seem to have a liking for it and rocket can be added to almost any savoury dish that wants pepping up but mostly it is added to salads. Being English, for many years I thought that salad was chopped lettuce, tomato and cucumber and spring onion if you were feeling adventurous (in much the same way as the complete book of English meat sauces was to be found on the back of a packet of Bisto gravy). I also thought that salads had to be eaten cold by law. If you pop over to Steve's Wild Kitchen you can join me in a barbecued pork chop, baked potato with a rather tasty warm mushroom, orange and rocket salad. 

In The Lab

I've been spending a little time with grasshoppers recently and, although I'm not a great proponent of pinning insects merely to decorate the walls, occasionally one does need to get up close and personal which can be a bit difficult when the object of interest jumps ten feet as soon as you get within spitting distance. Finding that setting boards cost anything between five and twenty five quid (plus VAT and delivery) I decided to make my own. All you need is a bit of polystyrene packaging at least 5mm thick and a Stanley knife. Cut a V shaped groove about 4mm wide by 4mm deep and there you have it. It may not look very professional (but there again, neither does my pinning) but it's perfectly adequate. This, incidentally, is a Red-winged Grasshopper, Oedipoda germanica.

• Latest Painted Lady Update

Thanks to Ian Burry who informs me that he saw a considerable number of Painted Ladies In Neapoli yesterday (26^th March) heading up the valley towards Selinari.

Crete Nature Catch-up
Series 1 - Welcome to Lasithi	Series 2 - The Rhythm Of Life	Series 3 - A Journey Begins
Series 4 - The Milonas Valley	Series 5 - This Is Ferma	Series 6 - Upland Villages
Series 7 - The Forty saints	Series 8 - Sunday Strolls	Series 9 - (Current series start)

Steve's Books (well, just the one at the moment)

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

*********************************************************************

LINKS:

Share your nature thoughts, photos and comments on Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Explore the region with the #CreteNature interactive Hiking and Nature Map

Cretan Flora Flowers of Crete BIRDS OF CRETE Crete Birding

Greek Butterflies and Moths Aquaworld Aquarium

Visit Greece (National Government Tourist Office)

Mirtos River

The sun is shining and there's hardly a breath of wind. Drop everything, cancel all plans, we're going out! With all the rain we've had recently (and more forecast in the coming days) good walking weather is at a premium. A morning stroll by the Myrtos river followed by a spot of lunch in the town is definitely in order.

Out & About

The birds are certainly enjoying themselves. Apart from a murder of hooded crows mustering in that gum tree over there, discussing goodness knows what, I can hear the descending trills of chaffinches, a twittering of goldfinches, the long, drawn out 'dzeee' of a greenfinch and the sharp 'tak-tak' of a male stonechat. And sitting pretty as a picture on that bush to our left is a female stonechat cocking an ear to the male whilst keeping a beady eye on us.

It's nice to see a few more wildflowers coming into bloom. The Branched Asphodels are a sure sign that spring can't be too far away and the Common Lantana (or Bacon & Egg plant as it is also known) always adds a splash of colour. This is not a native Cretan plant but originates from Central and South America. Since being imported as an ornamental it has gaily spread itself around the world bullying out native species as it goes. There's a fair bit of Tree Medick about, easily differentiated from similar looking yellow bushes by its unusual disk-like seeds, and these are a great favourite of bumble bees. Finally, down by the wall, we have some delightfully named White Ramping Fumitory. Medicinally, it is used to treat conjunctivitis but only when laboratory prepared – otherwise you're likely to end up with a secondary eye infection and make things worse rather than better.

Fieldcraft & Foraging

Ah, we've reached the bridge and there's a church at the far end which gives us a chance to practise a little bit of fieldcraft which I think you'll find interesting. How do you find your place in space and time in a church without a clock? 

Christian churches, of any denomination, are aligned east-west wherever conditions allow with the business end in the east (that's the end with the small doors for the priest as opposed to the big doors for the congregation). Therefore, if you stretch your arms out like this and line yourself up with the church and you can feel the sun behind you then you are pointing due north. Just to prove it I'll put my little compass down on the parapet. Look at that, magic. If you then put your stick (or anything else that comes to hand) in front of you you can estimate the time from the shadow it casts. The sun travels from east to west so if the shadow falls to the left it is morning, dead ahead it is noon, to the right it is afternoon. The further it diverges from north the earlier or later it is. When you get the knack of it, it's surprisingly accurate. Our shadow is very slightly to the left of north so it's probably about a quarter to twelve or thereabouts which means that by the time we've walked back along the other bank and wandered into town it will be just about lunchtime.

We haven't done any foraging on this particular outing but seeing these citrus trees on our right here reminds me that I have a rather nice recipe for very simple marmalade to share with you. Obviously you can't go pinching fruit from someone's trees unless you are under twelve (when it is known as scrumping – a minor felony) or over seventy (when it is known as being a cheeky old sod who thinks that life's rules no longer apply). However, if you do unexpectedly find yourself in possession of four decent sized oranges, a lemon and an apple, head over to Steve's Wild Kitchen and I'll show you how to turn them into two 680g jars of marmalade without all the fiddly mucking about usually associated with jams and preserves.

In The Lab – Forensic Entomology

Now here's an interesting little fellow that is out way past his bed time. He's a carrion beetle and this particular species, Ablattaria laevigata, likes to feed on snails at night. Those fierce jaws can pierce their shells. Female carion beetles like to lay their eggs in dead animals, including human cadavres. If you have a murder victim that has been gradually decomposing in the woods for some time then it is very difficult to estimate when the deadly deed took place using conventional forensics such as body temperature. Fly maggots can, and often do, help to extend this window but if you have young carrion beetles whizzing about all over the corpse you are on to a winner because their heads grow at a known rate. You simply get your calipers out, calculate their age, work out when the eggs were laid, subtract the average time it takes a female carrion beetle to find a corpse and Bob's your uncle. OK, not quite that simple but you get my drift. Just the sort of thing that Sherlock Holmes would have been into but unfortunately forensic entomology wasn't de rigeur in the late 19^th century.

Talking of Sherlock Holmes, I deduce from the bulges in your coat pockets, that four oranges seem to have made their way about your person. As I happen to have an apple in my pack then you know what we need to find now? A lemon tree my dear Watson.

Walking Notes

This is a very easy road walk and completely wheelchair accessible. The stone bridge may present a challenge but in summer it is probably more practical to use the adjoining concreted ford. If so, I suggest that you go up the west bank and return via the east bank (the ford gradient is steeper on the eastern side). For those that still retain their agility there are plenty of opportunities to go 'off-road' and get down to the river itself.

Crete Nature Catch-up
Series 1 - Welcome to Lasithi	Series 2 - The Rhythm Of Life	Series 3 - A Journey Begins
Series 4 - The Milonas Valley	Series 5 - This Is Ferma	Series 6 - Upland Villages
Series 7 - The Forty saints	Series 8 - Sunday Strolls	Series 9 - (Current series start)

Steve's Books (well, just the one at the moment)

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

*********************************************************************

LINKS:

Share your nature thoughts, photos and comments on Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Explore the region with the #CreteNature interactive Hiking and Nature Map

Cretan Flora Flowers of Crete BIRDS OF CRETE Crete Birding

Greek Butterflies and Moths Aquaworld Aquarium

Visit Greece (National Government Tourist Office)