Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: sokol on November 10, 2017, 03:15:20 PM
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This year we travelled to Greece for the first time end of October, 15 hours driving from Southern Bavaria till the Greek border.
First place was the locus classicus of Crocus macedonicus in the Vertiskos range North of Thessaloniki but the weather was terrible in the beginning.
Crocus macedonicus
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Crocus pulchellus
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In late afternoon the weather get better, the days are much to short at this time of the year.
Crocus macedonicus
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Crocus pulchellus
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The second day has started cloudless and stayed it for the whole day. So I decided to stay at the southern foothills of Mt. Olympos.
We have started with closed Crocus mazziaricus in the morning and passed the mountain from Leptokarya to Elassona.
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Biotope of Crocus mazziaricus
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Cyclamen graecum
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The view from the mountain to the east and of it were great.
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Crocus mazziaricus opened a bit at Karya
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Olympos seen from the south.
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A very nice surprice along the road, Crocus macedonicus.
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The next location followed soon.
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The last place to visit at this day was south of Elassona.
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Crocus mazziaricus
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Then we had a three and a half hours drive to Isthmus to meet our friends.
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Wonderful pictures - please continue! I am nearly going to be a croconut! ;)
Gerd
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Thanks Gerd, you can be sure I will continue.
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Stefan - very fine photos - thank you!
Gerd - there is no finer calling than to be a croconut ! ;) There is more to life than narcissus in Jerez, eh?!!
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Gerd - there is no finer calling than to be a croconut ! ;) There is more to life than narcissus in Jerez, eh?!!
-- of course, Maggi, you are right! But honestly - does a life without narcissus makes sense? ;)
Gerd
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-- of course, Maggi, you are right! But honestly - does a life without narcissus makes sense? ;)
Gerd
Now I think about it ...... perhaps not! :-*
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great report Stefan ;)
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Our friends arrived 2 hours later at the meeting point and then we were 4 for one day.
Next morning we discovered Merendera attica just 50m off the car by chance.
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We had discovered Crocus mazziaricus in the evening before with torch light.
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We then went to the centre of the Peloponnese for more and other Crocusses.
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and we have found Spiranthes spiralis first.
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We have found two other Crocusses around Manthyrea. Crocus hadriaticus was the first we have discovered
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but also many Sternbergia sicula.
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Some more Sternbergia pictures.
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and Cyclamen hederifolium
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The second species was Crocus melantherus. It get cloudy from midday on and most of the Crocusses closed their flowers.
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We left this nice Crocus area and crossed the Northern Parnon to see more Crocus melantherus. We saw some of them but all were closed now.
Colchicum cupanii has left its flowers open fortunately as it opens at lower temperatures like the other smal flowered Colchicum.
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It was dark again when we reached Leonidion, where we have spent the night.
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The next day started with rain that stopped soon fortunately. We wanted to drive from Leonidio to Monemvassia through one of the best crocus areas of the Peloponnese. Meanwhile we were 5, another friend has joined us
We saw many Crocusses along the road and stopped, when everything seemed to be white of them.
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Crocus hadriaticus
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The kids have discovered a Tarantula while we have looked for plants.
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Next stop was at one of the rare places of Ophrys cretica but this time especially for Crocus niveus.
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We saw the next species at Lambokambos, Crocus goulimy.
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There were also some Crocus laevigatus and Crocus niveus and hundreds of Sternbergia sicula and Cyclamen hederifolium.
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Looks like you had fun, thanks for sharing.
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Yes we had, Yann, weather could have been better.
We started next at the coast. It looked like rain to the North:
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A cemetery to the South on a small Island:
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We tried to find Colchicum sfikasianum in that region but we haven't found it. The picture is from a cultivated plant. I had collected a very small bulb in spring 2010 that was lying on the road over there.
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But we discovered our first Colchicum parlatoris that was mostly finished.
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We had a great location of thousands of a very pale Crocus goulimy instead of Colchicum sfikasianum.
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and a tiny Ameles spec.
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We were still in the back country of Monemvasia
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and the light was a bit better around midday when we discovered a spot with Colchicum cupanii
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We have also found Crocus laevigatus at this spot but also at other places. It was a very white form of this species often without markings outside.
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We finished the day at the wreck east of Githeo.
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The weather makes the sea very beautiful!
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The weather makes the sea very beautiful!
I also like the stormy sea but the crocusses don't.
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Next day started and ended with better weather but it was very cloudy again most of the day.
We had the sun just for Crocus boryi:
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Cyclamen graecum was breaking through the Asphalt surface.
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We were now around Areopoli before we went further to the south of Mani peninsula.
Allium callimischon
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And just a few Narcissus obsoletus along the small road.
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Rain was coming from Taygetos down to us and we escaped successfully to the south and it has never reached us.
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Malva spec.
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Spider
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Manthis religiosa
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Scilla autumnalis
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The southern part of Mani was still rather dry at low levels and we have found very few flowering plants there. We have missed especially the small flowered Colchicum and we have found just one when it was getting dark.
Sternbergia sicula
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Vathia, the famous tower village
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Really a Sternbergia and Crocus dream! Thank you for showing these pictures!
Gerd
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Beuatiful weather next day, no Sternbergia but many Narcissus obsoletus at different places of Mani peninsula.
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Crocus boryi will be at nearly every place where we have stopped.
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Same with Narcissus obsoletus that seemed to be aboundend there.
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Just a single Colchicum South of Areopoli, Colchicum parlatoris:
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Crocus goulimy was a dream there, especially growing between rocks there.
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Crocus niveus has had a much less divided style than at Parnon.
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Comparison with Narcissus obsoletus
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Landscape just a bit to the north:
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again a spider
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and Manthis religiosa colour variant
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I'm enjoying your journey, thanks for posting.
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Really a Sternbergia and Crocus dream! Thank you for showing these pictures!
Gerd
Sorry - I forgot to add the Narcissus species! - and - excellent photos!
Gerd
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Here are the Narcissus, probably thousands scattered over olive groves and along the roads. It was not possible to photograph this reasonably to show it.
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Taygetos looked much more friendly than the day before.
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Wonderful!
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Stefan, your spiders look similar to Araneus diadematus, garden spiders.
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Thanks Ian, I have also thought it looks similar. But I suppose it is a Mediterranean species that I don't know.
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Just around the corner our sole location with flowering Colchicum psaridis. It is a narrow endimic just at Mani peninsula, the flower is similar to Colchicum cupanii but it has soboliferous corms.
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We stopped several times on our way from Areopoli to Kalamata.
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Again a nice group of Crocus goulimy.
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Scilla autumnalis
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Flowering Urginea maritima only at one location.
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Narcissus obsoletus again.
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Spiranthes spiralis
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We were not quite sure with the next Colchicum before we looked at the corm. In the north of Mani it is Colchicum cupanii again that we have seen quite often on our trip.
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Around Kardamili
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Last location for the day just a bit south of Kalamata with Colchicum parlatoris
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and thousands of Scilla autumnalis
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Then we left the south and went to the northwest coast for our last day.
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What a great trip Stefan!
Nice to see all the landscapes pictures, they give such a clear image of the habitats where these bulbous plants grow.
I am getting in love with Sternbergia sicula :)
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I'm also in love with the goulimyi's bouquet :P
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I am getting in love with Sternbergia sicula :)
It is really a nice plant in the garden also. It flowers well every year and is fully hardy here. I always collect some seed in spring and the best are from Menalon mountains in Greece.
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There is a nice landscape in the northwest of Peloponnese along the coast with pines and wetlands. We have been there in April this year when we have found some interesting orchids.
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First we checked a site where a friend has noted "many flowered Colchicum". It was again Colchicum cupanii but really many.
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In autumn the forests itself seamed to be nearly without any flower besides a few Spiranthes spiralis. Further to the south there were Crocus, Colchicum and Narcissus but not here.
Half the way down to the southern end of the big bay we have met our friends by chance who searched in the other direction.
We have decided to stay together for the remaining hours.
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First we checked some place for orchid rosettes of Serapias and Orchis but nothing was out.
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O course there were some water birds like these flamingos.
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The main target were the dune landscape at the northern end of the bay of Kalogria.
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First we have found Bufo viridis, the green toad. I have told it that I need just 10 seconds for a picture. But it didn't understand or believe me.
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It was hard work till I finally have taken a satisfying picture.
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The next one has understood me much better and it was quite easy. It was much bigger and therefore elder and probably wiser than the first.
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Next animal was a rather big antlion.
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A beehouse
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and some thicktail scorpions
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Also the turtles, both are Testudo graeca have been rather uncooperative
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Still at the beach
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with hundreds of seeding Pancratium maritumum
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a juvenile Lacerta trilineata with its three lines.
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and a scolopender.
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Next was a larva of Empusa fascinata.
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The dragonfly waited kindly till I have taken some pictures.
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The last animal pictures were taken of Mauremys rivulata. I have had just one attempt after approaching them. They jumped into the water after hearing the release.
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Then we had to leave and passed this nice chapel.
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and the mountain above Kalogria.
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We entered the ferry to Ancona in late afternoon and left Greece for this year.
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Meanwhile I am rather sure that I will come back next autumn.
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Thanks Stefan.
A very comprehensive and enjoyable report of your trip to Greece.
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Stefan you saw the bufo in the Viotopos park?
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Stefan you saw the bufo in the Viotopos park?
Yes, close to Kalogria.
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ok, i should repay a visit...
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Such heartwarming pictures of flora and fauna! Enjoyed reading your report. I've been to Greece a couple of times and still thinking of moving there to live, through greek golden visa https://tranio.com/greece/residence/ or maybe for work I don't know yet. The only thing I know for sure is that it is exactly the climate I'd like to stay in and do gardening and enjoy myself
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Wonderful reports like this are such a great delight in the Forum. I agree, Willset89 - what a place to live - I know of some folks who visit very regularly, and some who have bought land and are building a house. How exciting is that?
Italian so much easier to learn than Greek, though, which is what stops my dreams! I think I've left it too long to learn Greek, even if they do have a word for it!
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Such heartwarming pictures of flora and fauna! Enjoyed reading your report. I've been to Greece a couple of times and still thinking of moving there to live, through greek golden visa https://tranio.com/greece/residence/ or maybe for work I don't know yet. The only thing I know for sure is that it is exactly the climate I'd like to stay in and do gardening and enjoy myself
ευχαριστώ, I am glad you enjoyed it.
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Wonderful reports like this are such a great delight in the Forum. I agree, Willset89 - what a place to live - I know of some folks who visit very regularly, and some who have bought land and are building a house. How exciting is that?
People making their dream come true. With their own hands! That's truly beautiful
Italian so much easier to learn than Greek, though, which is what stops my dreams! I think I've left it too long to learn Greek, even if they do have a word for it!
I think you can pick it up easily when in the country. And the most basic phrases and words will be enough for starters
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I'm not convinced about learning Greek!
Here is the link to Leif Fryle's blog about the move he and Christina are making to Greece .... http://fryle.se/blogg/ (http://fryle.se/blogg/)
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Greek is definitely not an easy language to learn.
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Another reason to learn Greek!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNHx5k6UtJA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNHx5k6UtJA)