Morning walk

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John J

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Morning walk
« on: January 23, 2016, 12:47:28 PM »
Today being bright and sunny we ventured out for a short walk on the edge of the village. Not a lot of activity amongst the wild flowers, possibly due to the rains arriving very late this year. Below are a couple of photos that I took.
Anemone coronaria and Lycium ferocissimum, flower and fruit.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2016, 04:51:46 PM »
February 1st and this morning we ventured a little further afield for our morning walk. As far as the ancient ruins at Kourion on the south coast of the island and only a five minute drive from home. Until relatively recently these ruins were open to all and the local shepherds grazed their flocks of sheep and goats over, around and through them with the resultant devastation to all plant life. However, since the Antiquities Department eventually got around to fencing off the area and began to charge for admission the change has been dramatic. With the domestic livestock no longer an issue the recovery has improved year upon year.
I took a few photos and will post them here beginning with Fagonia cretica. This rambling sub-shrub is more often found scrambling through and over other shrubs but here it is carpeting the ground.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2016, 06:11:47 AM »
The Cyclamen persicum that were rarely seen, except in places that the animals couldn't get at them, are now abundant.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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Alisdair

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2016, 08:50:21 AM »
Interesting that previously those browsing animals meant that you didn't often see cyclamens there. I wonder if it was them trampling rather than eating (cyclamen is supposed to be poisonous to animals)? In mainland Greece Cyclamen graecum seems to grow as happily on those olive terraces where animals graze as those where they don't.
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2016, 12:34:29 PM »
An interesting point, Alisdair, and one I hadn't considered. On reflection it was also, of course, open to human traffic and was something of a playground for the local children, all of which could have been a contributing factor.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2016, 05:48:07 AM »
Rather forbidding looking Anchusa aegyptiaca.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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Alisdair

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2016, 08:53:46 AM »
Wonderful contrast between those fierce leaves and the delicate little flowers!
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2016, 06:20:33 AM »
Asphodelus aestivus. In Greek mythology Asphodel Meadows were where the souls of those who were neither good nor evil were sent once they had been judged, hence the majority ended up here.
It's February and note how dry the landscape looks due to the fact that we have had so little rain so far this winter.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2016, 08:28:42 AM »
I am enjoying the photographic evidence of your morning walk
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2016, 06:13:01 AM »
I'm glad to hear that, Hilary, thank you.
Not sure what to label the following as because it seems to cause so much discussion as to whether it is 2 distinct species or 2 variants of the same species or whatever. However, I am reliably informed that the latest suggestion to come from the taxonomists is that the autumn-flowering plant should be named Mandragora officinalis and the spring-flowering one M. officinarum??? So, as this is in flower now maybe I should go for the latter? :P
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2016, 06:14:42 AM »
There were patches of lovely little Romulea tempskyana scattered among the ruins, often in association with Cyclamen persicum.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2016, 01:54:15 PM »
Fleabane, not the most attractive of plants but a commonly occurring one. Phagnalon rupestre subsp. graecum predominates in the south and west of the island while Phagnalon rupestre subsp. rupestre does the same in the east and central areas.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2016, 06:29:50 AM »
Helichrysum conglobatum flowering rather earlier than normal I suspect.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #13 on: February 09, 2016, 02:37:37 PM »
I have run out of photos from my recent morning walks and this one doesn't exactly qualify as when I saw it I was driving out of the village but here goes.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: Morning walk
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2016, 07:48:34 AM »
Yesterday we decided to walk over to the opposite side of the village than usual, to an area that we hadn't explored for some time. Not that many years ago it was all open countryside that had an abundance of flowers in the spring. Now it is full of houses with roads and tracks cut through the once virgin countryside. We did find one area with a few anemones and also some Salvia verbenaca plants clinging on tenaciously by the roadsides.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)