MAY 2008 | MAY 2007 continued
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| Muscari comosum
- Tassel Hyacinth - the ‘volvi’
of Cretan menus, the Tassel Hyacinth bulbs are
not to everyone’s taste. According to ancient
poetry, the Cretan diet consisted of ‘volvi,
snails and wine.’ |
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| Ornithogalum hedgerow
- this wonderful hedgerow of Ornithogalum and
Vicia was seen on Lassithi, late in the afternoon
as we were just about to head home. It was so
beautiful, we all had to get out our cameras again
to capture the moment. |
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| Petromarula pinnata
- Rock Lettuce - unfortunately all the
goats and sheep had eaten the other specimens
of this species. This plant was growing in a fairly
inaccessible rock crevice and was difficult to
photograph too. Past its best, it is the only
one I have seen this year. The leaves of the P.
pinnata are also eaten by humans; its name comes
from the Greek ‘petra’ – ‘rock’
and ‘marouli’ – ‘lettuce’.
The flowers are a wonderful, almost indescribable
blue against the foliage and the grey rocks. |
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| Phlomis lanata
- this Phlomis is endemic to Crete and is found
in rocky soil. This specimen was growing along
with Petromarula and Ebenus on a north facing
rock face. |
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| Scabious atropurpurea
- found in abundance at this time of the year,
this Knautia resembles Scabiosa maritime, but
can be recognised by its florets which have four
lobes instead of five. |
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| Carthamus lanatus
subsp. boeticus - this spiky thistle
has flower heads covered with woolly down and
surrounded by strong thorns. It is found in dry,
barren locations. |
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| Scutellaria sieberii
- this hairy, bright green plant bears white flowers
in an elongated, drooping spike. It is endemic
to Crete and likes to grow on rocky slopes. |
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| Stork’s Bill
Seedpods - although many of the wild
flowers have finished blooming for this year,
the seed heads can be equally fascinating and
beautiful. This seed pod shows exactly why the
species got its name. To see the flower that preceeds
this strange seedpod, please look at Erodium gruinum
in March. |
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| Swallowtail
- in many meadows, the air is filled with many
varieties of butterfly, reminding me of the ancient
Butterfly Goddess of the Minoans. Unfortunately,
butterflies, as always, are difficult to photograph,
but a great deal of patience rewarded me with
this shot of a Swallowtail on a Knautia. |
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