The Milonas Waterfall of Crete

Cyclamen creticus, Anacamptis collina, Fumana arabica

We seem to have emerged from the woods unscathed and the waterfall now lies directly ahead of us. We’ve had to take quite a detour to get around those imposing cliffs but it should be quite a gentle stroll today (famous last words) with plenty of opportunities to look about us. Let’s start with a few flowers that are heralding the arrival of spring later this month. In the shade of the rocks among the pine litter we have the white nodding heads of the Cretan Sowbread which is a type of Cyclamen; the yellow Fumana, a type of rock rose which we saw budding a few weeks back, is now in full flower; and our first orchid of the season: The Fan Lipped Orchid. 

Lucilia ceasar visiting Euphorbia dendroides

Many flowers have lovely scents to attract insect pollinators which we greatly appreciate but some, like this tree spurge here, have a pungent odour which we find somewhat off-putting. Some people have likened it to a decomposing corpse. Fortunately I have never had the experience of smelling a three day dead body so I can neither confirm nor deny but it certainly seems to be attracting these Greenbottles. Not everybody’s favourite insect but they’re quite beautiful when you look at them closely and useful too. Not only do they help to cleanse the planet of rotting bodies but their maggots (which feed on dead animal tissue) have been, and still are, used medically in maggot therapy. They are dropped into a wound such as an ulcer where they not only remove all the dead tissue but also secrete antimicrobial fluids that sterilise the wound.

Cicindela campestris mating

Have you noticed these little green beetles scurrying around on the sandy ground? They’re Tiger Beetles, so called because of their predatory nature. Notice the way that they sprint and stop in a series of jerky runs. This is because they run too fast to see where they’re going and they have to stop and visually reorient themselves. They hold their antennae straight out in front of them to stop them bumping into things. There’s a pair mating here look (in graphic detail if you look closely). I hope he wasn’t running at full tilt when he commenced – the female would have got the shock of her life.

Chalcides ocellata, Rumina decollata, Julidae family

We’re nearly there now and I see that we’re into stone flipping territory so let’s see if anyone is at home. Now here’s a strange group of bedfellows. An Ocellated skink, still hibernating by the way he’s remaining immobile and blinking at me sleepily, three Decollate snails and a Julid millipede. I say odd bedfellows because a skink’s diet generally includes snails and millipedes although I believe that this particular species prefers spiders and beetles. I wonder if the snails and millipede know that? It still seems like us cuddling up to a hibernating bear but nature is full of surprises.

Veliidae family

Well, here it is at last, the Milonas Waterfall, at 40m vertical drop it is the highest streaming waterfall in Crete. There’s a lovely pool here at the base that looks ripe for a bit of pond dipping so let’s go for a paddle. That’s rather refreshing isn’t it? We seem to have some small bugs swimming on the surface that may be worth a closer look. They’re rather quick and not easy to photograph but the body shape and size, the fact that they’re not doing the backstroke and the plated appearance of the abdomen make me think that they are Riffle Bugs. These are small predatory water striders typical of this sort of habitat but I’m not 100% sure. What do you think?

The Extra Bit

You know, that pool does look rather inviting, did you bring a towel? Come on then. Let’s go for a dip. Don’t be a sissy, the snow’s melted and there’s not even any ice on the surface.

Time for a dip (short video):  https://youtu.be/RUybOxhLqRg 

The Waterfall of Milonas

Hiking boots are the order of the day today, or at least stout trainers. We’re off on a three and a half hour trek into the hills and valleys to find a waterfall. As you know, water is a scarce commodity here in south east Crete so after the autumn rains start falling in the Thriptis mountains it’s nice to go and find some.

The first Black Redstart of the year

And once again, before we’ve hardly moved out of the front gate, there’s something of interest. You see the bird on next door’s aerial, bobbing up and down and calling a solitary cheep? That is the first Black Redstart of the year. Time for a recording shot. Wildlife photography isn’t always about getting the best picture, sometimes it is a tool for simply recording an event. Recording the first Black Redstart is something I do every year as part of my phenological record (see Phenomenal Phenology for more on this fascinating subject). One would think that their arrival would coincide with worsening weather in central and eastern Europe where they breed but despite autumns being progressively warmer in these areas the Black Redstarts are arriving earlier each year. Curious; we’ll have to look into that.

Autumn Crocus

It’s beautiful to be walking in the early morning sun and now we’ve left the road behind us and started up the track it’s just us and the buzzards wheeling overhead. Do you know the story of Catherine Wilson? No? Well her story is connected with this little flower growing on the bank here. This is the Autumn Crocus and I always find it flowering in November. It contains the alkaloid colchicine which is used pharmaceutically to treat gout. Like most medicinal plants in the wrong hands it is a deadly poison. Catherine Wilson was a 19th century British nurse who is thought to have poisoned seven victims with colchinine from this flower after encouraging them to leave her money in their wills (the victims not the flowers). She was hanged of course.

Sea Squill and Tree Spurge

While we’re on the subject of flowers you’ll have noticed that apart from the Autumn Crocus there is not much in bloom at the moment so here’s a tip. Take photographs of the early growth stages and note in your field diary where the plants are. Keep coming back periodically and photograph the plants again when they are in flower. Then you can combine the pictures as I have with this Sea Squill (which you’ll remember was flowering last month on our way to visit the Octopus's Garden ) and this Tree Spurge which you’ll find in flower down here from January until March. You’ll be surprised how your plant identification skills improve when you don’t just concentrate on the pretty flowery bits.

Spot the Birdie

Brace yourselves, we’ve got a couple of short, sharp climbs now but I promise you that the views will be worth it. Here we are with a commanding panorama of the limestone cliffs and that massive bird over there would appear to be the legendary Roc. Oh no.. it’s a lichen covered rock. That’s the problem with two dimensional photographs, they just don’t convey the awe inspiring sense of perspective that we are enjoying up here, let alone all the rich smells and the chatter of bird song around us. 

Aquatic Snail

I’ll bet you’re glad that you changed out of your flip-flops but we’ve reached the little aqueduct that forms the last part of our walk to the waterfall and the going is easier now. If you’ve ever walked the vertiginous levadas of Madeira don’t worry, this aqueduct is nothing like those (I still shudder at some of the drops). Just around this bend and here is the waterfall… or rather, it isn’t. It’s as dry as a bone. I must admit that I haven’t been here at this time of year before but I would have expected at least a trickle by now. No matter, there’s still a small pool of water at the bottom so lets delve in and see what we can find. Apart from the inevitable mosquitoes we seem to have some aquatic snails here. You can tell a lot about aquatic snails from the direction in which their shells coil. (The University of Michigan has a great on-line snail key) and I think that this may well be Stagnicola palustris. [I have since been able to identify this as a member of the Melanopsidae, most probably Melanopsis buccinoidea which has been previously recorded on the island. SD 17/11/2014]. Any malacologists out there care to comment?

Southern Maidenhair Fern

I do believe that I can hear a steady drip, drip, drip. Yes, here we are. Not exactly a waterfall but at least it gives us a chance to see the stalactites forming. And here growing on the walls we have some Southern Maidenhair Ferns which brings us back to the plant kingdom. Generally when we look at plants we tend to go for the attractive flowering plants, the magnoliophytes, but there are many other types of plant as well such as mosses, liverworts, horsetails and ferns such as these all with different and fascinating methods of reproduction. Incidentally, did I ever tell you, I read somewhere that the Navajo smoke Maidenhair Ferns for insanity. Whether to cure it or promote it I can’t quite remember.



Until next week – happy hunting.

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LINKS:

Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Flowers of Crete;

BIRDS OF CRETE

Crete Birding

Greek Butterflies and Moths

AquaworldAquarium

Visit Greece (National Government Tourist Office)