Samaria
Gorge is the ‘must do’ Cretan Gorge on every tourist’s check
list. Great, it really is spectacular, but so are most of the
hundreds of gorges on Crete, they just don’t have the marketing
behind them. One of these is Perivolakia
Gorge,
the head of which, we visited back in December 2017. It is also known
as Kapsa Gorge on account of the monastery of that name, perched on
the eastern flank. It
was to here that botanist Steve Lenton and I decided to make our
first post lockdown foray (mainly because he was after some obscure
species of Sea Lavender, endemic to this particular gorge) and I’m
happy to go anywhere.
As
usual, Steve went galumphing up the gorge in search of his flower,
whist I pottered about, looking at everything in general. Once
through the Tamarisk trees, the gorge became a riot of Oleander and
Chaste Trees with Caper bushes hanging from the cliff walls. I
also found a species of Mediterranean Thyme, Thymbra
calostachya, which
is endemic to Crete and only found in a few locations, here in the
east of the island.
As
these are all fairly aromatic plants, it is no surprise that
butterflies are attracted to the gorge in considerable numbers;
Whites, Blues, Brimstones and Speckled Wood were all flitting about
as were the diminutive Cretan Small Heath, Coenonympha
thyrsis. These
little butterflies are also endemic to Crete and particularly
prevalent in June. Some
show considerable blue shading at the base of the wing whereas others
show virtually none. Whether this is sexual dimorphism, or merely a
general colour variation, I have been unable to determine. Maybe some
specialist Lepidopterist can help me out here?
Chasing
butterflies in a hot gorge in June is a rather silly occupation, so I
retreated to a small cave. All was quiet, save the insects, the
birds, and the occasional botanist crashing through the undergrowth,
who shall remain nameless. Birds,
like aeroplanes, have their own air corridors. Perching birds
(Passerines), such as the Great Tit,
like
to keep below tree top level where there are plenty of branches on
which to perch and sing. Crag Martins prefer the middle levels where
there are plenty of crags, and a banquet of high flying insects on
which to swoop down. Whilst, surveying all from on high, the Ravens
keep up their sonorous cronking call.
Clinging
to the walls of the cave are a number of Door Snails of the Albinaria
genus. There are up to 30 different species of these (according to
which malacologist you talk to) in central and eastern Crete, and
each species has its own geographical range, often depending on who
moved what stones where, and when. Historians have tracked human
movement back to Roman times by observing the distribution of these
door snails. This one, Albinaria
teres,
is quite widespread across Lassithi province.
Having
located and sampled his obscure Sea Lavender, Limonium
sp. to
be determined, we decided to repair to The Oasis Taverna where a
couple of beers brought forth roast pork, potatoes, stuffed courgette
flowers, bread and cheese. We put the world to rights as usual (well,
someone has to), Steve photographed his linoleum (sorry, Limonium)
and I watched a pair of Southern Skimmers, Orthetrum
brunneum, mating
on the side of a soft drinks crate. Things really do go better with
Coke, apparently.
How
to recognise butterflies, dragonflies, snails and many other of the
planet’s smaller life forms, s simply explained and illustrated in
The
Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies
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See
sample pages of all my books and latest blogs, and keep abreast of
latest publications here:
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All
you need to know to identify any type of insect, spider, worm or
snail very simply and find out more about it.
Yvonne:
This
was a gift for a family so that the children can understand what
they see on days out. The second was for me. Logical and easy to
use. If you know anyone who likes nature you can be confident that
gifting this book will give years of pleasure.
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The
Eggs of Saramova
A
science fiction novella for those who don't like science fiction.
A fast-paced thriller that is, literally, out of this world (and
it starts right here in Crete).
Too
new for reviews yet!
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A
light-hearted look at life through the eyes of the fairer sex.
Janet:
If
you are short on time but enjoy reading and are maybe not into
long extended novels then Not Just For... Twisted Women provides
readers with concise stories that stand alone and most certainly
entertain with their ultimate twists. Loved it.
Helen:
A
very good read! Well written and entertaining!
Margaret:
Each
quick tale gives a glimpse into a character's life and has an
often humorous twist at the end. I would love to read more.
Yvonne:
These
days many people find it hard to find the time to read a novel, so
this book of short stories is ideal to dip into. It is also makes
a good gift.
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Crete
Nature Catch-up
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LINKS:
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(the
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Explore
the region with the #CreteNature interactive Hiking
and Nature Map
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