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Gerakas wild flower meadow
Stranger
you have reached a famous land,
Here in green foliage chants the nightingale,
Here is the forest home of reveling Dionysus
with nymphs that nurse him.
Here, day after day,
Blooms the fair narcissus, fed on dew,
The flower that crowns the goddesses,
And here as well
Glows the golden crocus…
From
Sophocles, Oedipus at Colunus
The
Greek Ionian islands are some of the greenest Greek islands,
blossoming in early spring, even in their most arid parts. Their
lush green landscape and fertile plains have inspired many artists
and poets, in particular Lord Byron who once visited the islands.
During venetian rule Zakynthos was referred to as Fiore de Levante,
Flower of the East, and is still sometimes referred to today as
Zante.
Greece
and her islands are far richer in flowers than any other european
country, with more than 6,000 species as opposed to 2,300 in the
britiish islaes. Hardly surprising that many holiday makers are
attracted to the island in early May or late September, when the
hillsides are carpeted with wild flowers.
Haymeadows
( by Paul Whitehead)
The only significant haymeadows located on Zakynthos are on
marine clays and overlying colluvium in the Gerakas area. Haymeadows
in spring are a magnificent sight with massed flowers of Galactites
tomentosa Moench. and Chrysanthemum coronarium L.Other
characteristic plants include Lotus, Anthllis tetrapylla L.,
Medicago orbicularis (L.) Bartol, Onobrychis Caput-galli (L.)Lam,
Thapsia garganica L. and Arum Italicum Miller. However changing
social trends gathering pace are beginning to threaten the existence
of some of the traditional meadows, which also support a rich fauna
phytophagos coleoptera.
Sea
Daffodil (Pancratium Maritimum)
This magnificent lily, with its intoxicating scent, flowers
on the beaches of Greece from August to September, mostly in lone
splendour. Unfortunately its survival is being threatened by the
development of tourism in coastal areas, many visitors digging up
the onion like bulb and taking them home. Luckily this beautiful
flower can still be found on the southern beaches of zakynthos,
especially at Gerakas and Banana beach. It is important that it is
protected and the bulbs should not be uprooted.
Cyclamen
(Cyclamen graecum)
There are two species of this wild flower to be found in
Greece, the early and late flowering Cyclamen. This cyclamen appears
after the first rains, around early October, covering the hillsides
and olive groves in tiny pink flowers.
The
Zakynthians special name for the flower is kopelitsas, as the flower
resembles a little girl with frilly skirts. The ancient Greeks also
had a special name for them, calling them Chelonion because the
tubers of the plant are shaped like turtles.
| Help us safeguard the future of these unique
habitats and ensure the survival of some of the worlds most
endangered wildlife species.
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Continued
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