Survey of Dodder Fen, Paxton Pits

Some of the c 50 species identified in a Bioblitz of an area at Paxton Pits that supports a colony of Dodder in the summer - parasitic on nettles. The Bee Fly (a parasite of Mining bees) is loading its egg chamber with mud to coat the eggs so they are heavier and drop more accurately into the bee nest holes.

Images from Crete Phaestos and its Orchids, Spiders etc

Phaistos was an important Bronze Age settlement from the 3rd millennium BC. It was one of the largest in Crete, with the Palace of Phaistos dating from around 1900 BC. The palace is most famous for the discovery of the Phaistos Disc, a 15cm clay-fired disc with stamped symbols that have yet to be deciphered and are believed to be some of the oldest writing in Europe. The stones were alive with very small Jumping spiders - which were wonderful subjects for macrophotography. The males have small bright orange and black abdomens while the females are less well marked but slightly larger. We also saw a Scarce Swallowtail Butterfly and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Three very similar 'Bee' orchids to finish - the Bumble Bee Orchid, Sombre Bee Orchid and Sawfly Orchid.

 

Garden Project 14

It is now 3 years since I started my wildlife garden and the various areas: front meadow with cowslips, flower beds with wild and cultivated species, the back wildflower beds with Red Campion, Hedge Garlic etc, woodland with Fritillarias, Yellow Archangel and Arum Lillies  and pond with Marsh Marigolds  all  appear to be fairly stable. 

Day 7 Akrotiri Peninsular

Our last full day in Crete was spent on the Akrotiri peninsular with visits to two monasteries with their vineyards, olive groves and wonderful gardens full of insects, spiders and plants. We finished at Stavros Beach where Zorba the Greek was filmed.