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Flower finding trips, autumn 2010 and spring 2011
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Ten common flowers of Crete

Ten Cretan orchids

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WELCOME to the Flowers of Crete website

Breaking news: a fire has badly damaged rare Cretan palms at Moní Préveli on the south coast of Crete. More here >

Flower of the month - September

Sea daffodil Pancratium maritimum

Being autumn-flowering, spring visitors to the Mediterranean miss out on this seaside gem - apart from the daffodil-like leaves and, with a little searching, its chunky black seeds. The sea daffodil can be found on the sea shore in many places around Crete and is so beautiful that it is now cultivated in the grounds of several luxury hotels. Its perfume is sweet and heady and altogether this must be one of the most attractive plants on the island.

Pancratium maritimum
More flowers month by month here

New Flowers of Crete web pages
Ten common flowers of Crete

Ten Cretan orchids

Centaurea pumilio

Centaurea pumilio
This rare centaurea can only be found in Crete on the western beaches around Elafonísi. It was in bloom when delegates from the conference on biodiversity made a field trip to the remote beaches of the south west tip of Crete.

The intensely grey hairy leaves are for moisture retention, typical of many flowers of maritime sands. Photo taken 8 May 2010.

A Flowers of Crete Art and Photography Exhibition takes place at the Orthodox Academy of Crete in June 2011.  The title of the exhibition will be Rare and Endangered Plants and will be held during the ECOTHEE Conference on the Environment.  This Conference will be attended by delegates from around the world and will be an opportunity for artists committed to the environment to share a stage with people from other disciplines.

The Cretan Palm

Saving the Cretan Palm
Some of the small Phoenix theophrastii palms sent from The Winter Gardens in Sunderland, grown from seed collected some years ago at Vai, have now been planted at the Bayview Development on the south coast at Magriakalos.

Other palms have been planted in private gardens in the east of the island and these are being carefully monitored for evidence of the red palm weevil. We have found specimens of this destructive insect in the square in Elounda. It is a threat to the endemic Cretan Palm forests at Vai and Préveli and every effort needs to be taken to try to stop its progress.  More here.


Honey Guide
The Flowers of Crete web site is part way through an overhaul, with the help of Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays. Read more >

Flowers of Crete
Aims of Flowers of Crete
Please click here to read the aims of Flowers of Crete.
 
   
 
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