Visit to the Pindus mountains in the Grevena District in Greece, May 15, 2016

[papapoly]

I visited the Pindus mountains in the Grevena District in N Greece, bordering with Epirus to the West and Western Macedonia to the North.  These mountains are beautiful with high amounts of rainfall (over 1000 mm per year).  Weather can change abruptly as it happened in this trip. 

Four villages with traditional populations and nomadic sheep raising families are located in the area.  Going from South to North, Perivoli at 1250m, Avdela at 1200 m, Smixi at 1200 m and Samarina at 1450 m.  In the past, I had visited the first three.  Roads now are all paved and in good condition.  In Smixi a nice ski area has been operating and a paved road leads to the ski area at 1800 m.  A pass at about 1850-1900 m takes you to the other side of this chain of mountains in Epirus.  Deep valleys occur in between, heavily forested.  I left my car at 10 am in the upper ski area at 1800 m and decided to climb the mountain towatds the highest peak at 2249 m.  As I was climbing, the western side of the Timphi range (about 2450 m) and the Smolikas range (2637 m) were at sight still snowbound.

The climb was nice as the weather was crisp (about 5-6 oC) and sunny.  Later on, around 2:30 pm, as I was in Samarina it started raining and on my way home (about 160 km to the SE) it was raining heavily.  So, I was happy I could see and photograph many interesting plants.  The pictures I will be attaching in this Post are not of very high quality, especially those of small plants but I hope that you will enjoy them neverthless.  Yellow flowers are difficult to photograph because I cannot get a good contrast.  I apologize for showing you some plants whose genus I do not know.

Starting at 1800 m, ranunculus sp, forming extensive fields mixed with violets and Muscari sp predominated the flora.  The violet sp. was mostly yellow above 1800 m and mainly violet below 1800 m.  It also formed extensive fields.  Intermediate forms occured, scattered throughout the mountain.

George Papapolymerou


 

[papapoly]

This white species occured everywhere and I see it a lot in other mountains (pics 31 and 32)

Magnificent Pinus heldreichii, occuring only above the 1700 m line (pics 34 and 35)

Tulipa australis (?) in bud (pic 40)

[papapoly]

Higher up at 1900 m, a muscari sp was flowering (pics 53 and 55).  Doronicum columnae in the shade of a log was in bud (pic 67)

[papapoly]

Scilla bifolia was mostly out of flower, in seed, but I saw this one in flower (pic 74)

Nearby Primula veris was flowering (pic 77) and Ranunculus sp (pic 78) and Corydalis solida (pic 80)

[papapoly]

At 2000 m the Viola sp occured in an interesting coloration.  On the NE side of the mountain, in serpentine (?) scree was reddish while on the NW side was yellow. 

[papapoly]

On the ridge it occured in mixed colours (pic 134)

Pinus heldreichii on the NE side

Snow field at 2000 m on the NW side

Yellow form at 2050 on the NW side (pic 148)

[papapoly]

At 2100-2150 m a yellow Draba (?) species (pics 191 and 192)

Reddish form of the violet

Intermediate bicoloured form between yellow and reddish)

[papapoly]

The same white sp as in pics 31 and 32 (?) occuring as a cushion plant at 2100 m (pic 210) and at 1850 m (pic 294)

Is this the same species (?), pic 304 also at 1850 m

Doronicum columnae in full flower in rocky terrain at 2100 m (pics 219 and 222)

   

[papapoly]

Pinus heldreichii at 2100 m (pics 225 and 249) and at 1850 m (pic 268).  All shaped by the weather and thunder

View towards the NW from 2050 m (pic 226).  Clouds had formed by now and the Timphi and Smolikas ranges are not visible.  At 2100 m, I had to return bak because the weather was getting worse.  Heavy clouding was occuring in the West and Northwest and heavy smag was moving in the ridge at 2150 m from the NW

Natural rock garden at 2050 m on the N-NW side of the mountain (pic 230) 

[Hoy]

Papapoly,
Very interesting! Looks easy walking there? No shrubs etc. Do sheep graze there in summer?

[papapoly]

Yes, they do.  As I was going there I met them at about 900 m.  They will get there by late May - early June

George

[Philippe]

Thank you for the pics and report on this place we usually don't hear much about.

[David Nicholson]

Very interesting report George, thank you very much.

[Gabriela]

It is always nice to see different landscapes/species, thanks for showing George. Pinus heldreichii is superb!

[papapoly]

Moving on to lower elevations, at 1800 m, ranunculus, muscari and more violets