The Art of Slowing Down

 

Autumn is the season when nature slows down. Flowers set seed and leaves turn brown. Our bodies also react to the seasonal rhythms of shorter days and longer nights (even if our minds often don't). So, slow down with Ishbel, Jack the Navigator Hound, and I, as we take a leisurely trip along the Lancaster Canal. Drifting along at a sedate four miles per hour, a family of Mute Swans, like the Moorhens, Mallards and a young Grey Heron, are totally undisturbed by our presence. Peter and Ian take it in turns to pilot The Waterwitch and tell us the story of the canal which, at one time, was used to transport gunpowder from the nearby mills.

After an hour's pleasant meanderings, we disembark and a local guide, David, takes us on a walk along the next part of the canal to be restored. As David details the massive obstacles to be overcome, I get sidetracked by the plethora of insect life in the rampant undergrowth. A Noon Fly sunbathing on a leaf, a pair of Nettle-tap moths (their caterpillars feed on nettles) pollinating an Ox-eye Daisy and a Common Darter Dragonfly patrolling one of the larger pools.

Minibeasts tend to get scarcer as the season wears on but you don't have to look very far for them. I have quite a collection of aphids and midges in odd corners of the mill, which are kept in check by spiders such as this Lace-web. The only trouble is, as their name suggests, they make lacy webs, which are pretty unsightly, especially when dotted with odd bits of insect such as wings, legs and other items of exoskeleton. Not wishing to rename the Old Corn Mill 'Cobweb Cottage' I gave them all the old heave-ho a few days ago and removed the webs and spiders. I now have more happy midges than I can shake a stick at. Come back spiders, all is forgiven!

The Good, The Bad and the Edible

Walking back along the towpath for the return journey, the ivy is coming into flower. This is a plant of immense importance to our declining insect population (so please don't cut it back while it's flowering). Because it flowers so late in the year, it provides a lifeline of nectar.  It is, however, mildly poisonous and comes under the inedible category. That having been said, our ancestors used to chew the leaves as an expectorant.  They obviously knew a thing or two as nowadays extracts of Ivy are incorporated into modern cough medicines. 

On a definitely consumable note, Elderberries are now in season and, here at the Old Corn Mill, I shall be spending a pleasant afternoon in the kitchen making elderberry wine.

Until next week

All the best,

Steve

Steve's Books

Chubby's Crematorium & Burger Bar A book of humorous poems to cheer, amuse and entertain your friends with.
The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies 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.
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!
Not Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels  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.

Steve's Nature Quiz #20

This is a male Common Darter dragonfly but where does the female drop her eggs?

In the soil?

In the water?

In the air?

Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum

The male clasps the female as they fly through the air and they swoop down over the water in tandem. Then, at the lowest point of the arc the female releases her eggs where they scatter over the water. So, if you said water then you were partially right but she actually drops them from the air.

More fascinating nature facts as this week's #CreteNature Blog explores the area around the village of Stavrohouri in east Crete.

The Hills Are Alive

Galatella (Galatella) and Autumn Squill (Prospero)

When faced with a valley leading into exciting looking mountains many people are tempted to grab the Nordic walking sticks and stride off towards the horizon. Naturalists, however, do not stride; they potter and probe and poke about which is what we shall do today by ignoring the peaks for the moment and turning due east to clamber up the side of the valley. It’s steep but not particularly high at this point although I’m sure that the views from the top will be worth the modicum of effort involved.

We have some nice little autumn flowering plants on the way up. This little yellow job with the strange projections is a Galatella; part of the daisy family which you will only find in East Crete, Karpathos, Rhodes and south west Turkey. The mauve flower on the other hand is a bit of a botanists nightmare as it comes in many different forms (known as a ‘cryptic species complex’). It’s an Autumn Squill and is closely related to the Sea Squills (see In An Octopus's Garden).

Sage (Salvia)                         Cistus (Cistus)

Whilst we’re on the subject of plants you may have noticed on our climb that we have stumbled over, round and through a number of cistus bushes, but down here by my foot there’s a little sage bush just starting out in life and, as you can see, the leaves are very similar. So how do you tell the difference? Touch and smell. The sage is soft and velvety with an aromatic smell whereas the cistus is rough and slightly sticky and, to my nose, odourless. Despite their similarities they are not even in the same family.

Plants of the same species that look unrelated and unrelated plants that look the same – who’d be a botanist?

Spiky Leaf Beetles (Hispella)

Meanwhile, sitting on a cistus leaf, looking as though they’re intently watching something going on below them, we have a couple of Spiky Leaf beetles. I haven’t come across these before, gently pass me one up would you and we’ll have a look at him under the hand lens. Apologise for disturbing him, we’re all part of Earth’s great panoply of life, so he’s a distant relation. Just look at those spines on the wing cases, a predator would think twice about picking him off as a snack. I’ll just put him back with his companion and let them continue watching whatever it is that they are finding so fascinating.

Mushroom (Russula), Millipede (Julidae), Scorpion (Euscorpius)

This looks like a nice spot to sit and rest our legs awhile with the autumn sun filtering through the trees and dappling the ground. There may not appear to be much going on but if we scrabble about in the pine litter at the base of the trees we may just find…ah, here’s one… a Russula mushroom. The trees and the fungi, as we’ve previously discussed (see A Kingdom In The Pine Woods) have a symbiotic relationship so there’s a strong connection here. There is another connection if you look into the base of this clump I’ve just unearthed, a host of Snake-like Millipedes curled up in the bottom. It would appear that they simply adore these mushrooms. You can’t take these things for granted of course, maybe the mushrooms repel would-be predators such as the scorpions you’ll find in those rocks over there and thus offer the millipedes a safe habitat. As far as I know the relationship hasn’t been studied.  It may seem tranquil here but there’s interconnected activity between plants, fungi, primary consumers and predators happening all around us if we take the time to observe it and there is still so much that we don’t yet know about the world around us.

Common Darters (Sympetrum)

It’s nice to see that the dragonflies are still with us so late in the season. Have you noticed how the males and females choose different places in which to rest? Darters like these are difficult to catch on the wing as their flying skills are superb but they are vulnerable when they land. The brick red male has lined himself up with the dead pine needles whereas the greenish gold female has chosen a dangling posture against a backdrop of drooping green leaves, both of them opting for camouflage suitable to their colouration.

There’s a bit of a view of the rest of the valley over here. We may well reach those chunky, exciting looking mountains eventually. It all depends upon what we find to amuse us on our way. This valley is as new to me as it is to you so who knows? Until next week – happy hunting.

See all the pictures including insets in detail on Flickr

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LINKS:

Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Cretan Flora

Flowers of Crete;

BIRDS OF CRETE

Crete Birding

Greek Butterflies and Moths

Aquaworld Aquarium