Janis in Greece- November 2014

[ruben]

Very instructive report Janis! I very much like Crocus hellenicus! I hope to have this once growing in my collection!

[Janis Ruksans]

Some more interesting colour forms of Crocus mazziaricus, all pictured in minor rain late evening.

[Janis Ruksans]

After small accident when suddenly dog sleeping on road jumped up and even with strongest pushing of brakes was impossible to avoid physical contact. I was drivier and did everything to avoid accident, but it was dark and not the best driving conditions. Front bumper and one of dimension lamps of our car were damaged – this cost us 640,- Eu - so good lesson for future to take full insurance, dog run away on three legs – I’m afraid that he hadn’t health insurance.

We easily found nice hotel (Flowers of Monemvasia) with very moderate price. In morning Liga stay in city but I drove with my friends to known me Cyclamen localities to make pictures. Mostly bloomed C. hederifoilium but for C. graecum it was too early – it only started. But few pictures we got. No one Crocus goulimyi we saw although earlier there were plenty of them and another crocus species still didn't start blooming, too.

[Janis Ruksans]

Jirka and Vaclav are visiting Monemvasia for short view inside old city. I’m driving to pick up Liga and we started way back to North. On the spot where I saw Crocus boryi during my first visit here before 6 years we again spotted it and maid some nice pictures. Side by side blooms Colchicum cupanii, too. This part of travel I made for my friends. My targets on this trip were only Crocus hellenicus and Crocus mazziaricus.

[Janis Ruksans]

When I planned my first trip to Peloponnesus Rick told me about localities where he saw Crocus melantherus and one of them was between Tripoli and Sparta. I several times passed this region and no one C. melantherus saw. Now situation was different. At first spot not far from Alepohori were plenty of Crocus laevigatus (or boryi – I didn’t check corm tunics) accompanied with C. hadriaticus (large form) - extremely variable here; and C. melantherus, between those some were very pretty. Weather was cloudy and dark, so flowers stay closed and not easy to check identity, especially now, when I can see only pictures and can’t see branching of stigma hided in closed flowers. Those which I labeled as "most likely", could be melantherus or even hadriaticus. I nothing collected, so I can't check.

[Janis Ruksans]

On opposite side of Alepohori we again stop seeing nice cyclamens on roadside. Vaclav and Jirka goes to picture them, but I'm looking for crocuses. Again the first spotted is Crocus hadriaticus, but then follow some C. melantherus. Not many as it is something early for it, but between those I spotted two quite specially coloured - one with stipled back of petals, another with quite intensively yellow shaded back of petals. The last one I'm taking out by fingers as it is growing on roadside slope and most likely will go when winter rains will wash down the soil covering its corm.

[Janis Ruksans]

It is quite late and we have a long road ahead. I want to visit another locality for Crocus mazziaricus missed at day of coming to Greece as navigation guided me to new pay-road. Now I'm putting targets and intermediate stops to follow old road, but when we approximate locality it is far too late for searching of crocuses. So we are following to Thiva to look for hotel. It was real wonder that I found the hotel where I slept few years ago and even greater wonder was finding of parking spot. Unfortunately hotel was completely booked for wedding party but in some 100 meters distance we found another one quite comfortable.
We got good lunch and in morning start in direction to Airport by the old road. Quite soon I stopped at locality where several years ago my wife spotted Crocus mazziaricus. Then I was in great hurry and not took coordinates, but my memory perfectly identify spot where we parked on roadside. And there it was - nice bluish toned C. mazziaricus. Found even one seed pod still full with seeds. Morning was misty and wet what you can see by tightly closed buds of crocus flowers.

[Janis Ruksans]

Now we have only one target - it is hotel half an hour drive from Airport. We used booking.com last night and it was the closest to Airport, more expensive than others used by us before, but still acceptable. Jirka and Vaclav must be in airport tomorrow at 6 o’clock in morning. My flight is only at mid-day. But on following ridge again Vaclav spotted a lot of cyclamens on roadside, so we make another one stop. And there isn’t only Cyclamen graecum but plenty of Crocus mazziaricus, too.

[Janis Ruksans]

In this entry Crocus mazziaricus of really incredible colour - flowers shine pinkish, of course, it is still puplish shade of lilac, not so clean pink shade as was found by. Mr. Epipektov between Crocus alatavicus, but this can be named pink, too. It was spotted by Līga. She has very good eyes for unusual forms. On other pictures are Cyclamen graecum and leaf variations in it.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some more pictures from this stop with Cyclamen graecum; more variation in leaves, at this case selection made by Liga. Slope with everywhere here blooming Sternbergia sicula and Liga sitting with flower bunch pictured in previous entry.

[Janis Ruksans]

But one more and really the last one stop was made where we saw roadside slopes very abundantly covered with Sternbergia sicula flowers. Of course - there again I met with Crocus mazziaricus. To picture corm tunics here I’m using small branch of pine-tree. It helps me to take it out of soil and picture its corm, what I forget to do at previous stop. And on the last picture of this trip - Liga and I sitting in front of Sternbergias (pictured by Jirka).
After that direct drive to Hotel. Navigation perfectly guides us to our target. After leaving of luggage in our rooms, I’m bringing my colleagues and Liga to Metro-station and they use the rest of day to visit Acropolis where by myself I was 3 times before. So I use the rest of day for bathing, ordering of travel notes, preparing of herbarium sheets (changing tissue paper - I found paper kitchen towels as the best for herbariums). Trip was very successful. My main target was fixing of Crocus mazziaricus variability throughout the area from Lefkada to Peloponessus and Attika and I got needed samples for further laboratory research. Later were added sample from near Larissa. I didn’t find Crocus hellenicus from other spots, but it was less important. Of course - would be nice to have sample from surroundings of Moni Romvou, located halfway from Nafpaktos to Vikos, but most likely it must be identical with neighbour locations.
Early morning I’m bringing Vaclav and Jirka to Airport. We return our car and were charged for 640,- Euro for its damage. Home we reach only at midnight due long waiting in transfer Airports. Latvia is cold, wet. But crocuses in greenhouse are still blooming. Further weather broadcast is horrible. For end of November just now are proposed even minus 28 C hard frosts. Oh, god…

[Matt T]

Wonderful photographs Janis. Your trip appears to have had been as successful as my own. It's amazing that you have visited completely different sites to me, perhaps only one or two places we might have coincided. The region is truly spectacular for autumn bulbs and such rich area for learning more about these species. I look forward to going back and like the idea of have a research focus to a trip as you had.
Best wishes.

[Mavers]

Very interesting Janis, thank you for posting all the photos.

[johnstephen29]

Great photos of cyclamen janis