JUNE 2007
I was horrified and upset this month, when I went to one of
my favourite spots with visitors, only to find that the field
had been ploughed and sown with barley or wheat. This site
is home to the rare Spiranthes spiralis which blooms in the
Autumn and it is only to be hoped that the plough did not
dig deep enough to disturb the bulbs. On a more positive note,
around the edges of the meadow, which are far too rocky to
plough, we found the following flowers, including the relatively
rare Ophrys candica. Look out for the coming autumn months
– I hope to be able to show you Spiranthes spiralis
thriving in the meadows.
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| Anacamptis pyramidalis
- Pyramidal Orchid - this orchis was
going to seed, but I was fascinated by the fine
web woven around it by some absent spider. The
name of this orchis comes once again from the
Greek ‘ anakamptos’ meaning ‘turned
back’ and this probably refers to the up
turning spur. |
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| Anagallis arvensis
var. arvensis - Scarlet Pimpernel
- the red form of this little annual is common
all over Europe. |
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| Anagallis arvenis
var. caerulea - Blue Pimpernel (?)
- I find this blue form more attractive and striking
than the red. On the meadows below Karfi both
forms were growing together. |
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| P. dubia
- although almost over, this specimen seems to
be P. dubia – an annual commonly found in
olive groves. |
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| Galactites tomentosa
- I identified this as Galactites, but I am not
so sure. Again help please! |
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| Centaurium pulchellum
- looking very pretty in quite dense clumps,
this centaurium is found in damp places. The
meadow that is home to this specimen has a small
stream running through and dense vegetation
in some areas. |
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| Lathyrus
- a pretty little member of the pea family - but
which one? I don’t seem to be doing so well
with identification this month, so again help! |
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| Lythrum junceum
- found quite commonly in damp areas. There were
a few dotted specimens on this meadow, but quite
often this plant can be found growing in large
colonies. |
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| Verbena officinalis
- (Vervain) - one of the two species
of Verbena found on Crete. |
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