At this time of the year we are focussing not on orchids, but on the autumn flowering bulbs of the area: some nice endemics are lined up for the week, but today we started gently with a wander along past the Baths of Aphrodite, bumping into these two delicate little Narcissus along the way.
Narcissus serotinus: a very delicate looking plant, with relatively narrow petals and a very short yellow 'trumpet'
Narcissus tazetta: more robust, with broader petals and an obvious, yellow 'trumpet'
Aside from the flowers, we also had a very successful morning for butterflies, with the sun out and plenty on the wing. The highlight was found at the bizarre gardens down the road, where the farmer is growing a weird and wonderful variety of 'herbal ingredients', notably some very toxic plants, including the Nipple Fruit (Solanum mammosum: google it to see the crazy fruit!) and Bristle-fruited Silkweed. Flying around the bushes of this latter, a member of the Milkweed family, were three large orange butterflies with black and white markings on the wings: Plain Tiger, a regular migrant to the island but not a common breeding species at all. Later in the day we also had a brief fly-past by the spectacular (but, on this occasion, far too shy) Two-tailed Pasha.
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