Colchicum sfikasianum

804_1013 [Colchicum sfikasianum]

 

802_6942 [Colchicum sficasianum]

 

Colchicum sfikasianum is a perennial autumn flower,

endemic to Greece

in S. Peloponnese, Mt. Hymittos in Attica and in some Ionic islands.

It grows in sunny stony and rocky places

mainly at heights of up to 500 m.

When it is in bloom, it has no leaves. They appear in spring.

Its flowering, together with the Cyclamen,

signifies the beginning

of the new flower-shooting season for us wild flower photographers!

 

A note of caution!

All parts of the plant are poisonous, as is the case with all colchicums!

 

 

Two sides of the same "coin"

 

801_1309 [Kolokotronis]

While walking along Stadiou Street in central Athens,

I found myself standing beside this statue

and decided to photograph it.

The low angle of the sunlight and the strong contrast

turned the rider into a striking silhouette.

At first, I was pleased with the result,

but when I later looked at the image on the computer screen,

something about the rider's head looked odd.

I wondered why.

 

 

801_1309 [Kolokotronis]

 Curious to solve the mystery,

I processed the image to bring out some of the details

hidden in the shadows.

 

The rider's helmet emerged,

explaining the unusual shape of the silhouette,

and his identity became immediately clear

— at least to any Greek viewer.

 

The newly revealed details of the horse were an additional bonus.

 

For my non-Greek readers:

the rider is Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770–1843),

the Commander-in-Chief of the Greek forces

during the War of Independence of 1821 against Ottoman rule.

The statue stands in front of the Old Parliament building in Athens.

 

 

Lilium chalcedonicum

302_0801 [Lilium chalcedonicum]

 

A Lilium chalcedonicum in the process of flowering.

A new marvel is being born! Compare with the image below!

 

 This impressive, perennial wild flower is endemic to Greece

and to south Albania.

 

In Greece,

it grows in cool, relatively shady habitats at elevations of 500–700 m

on Mounts Olympus, Pindos, Taygetos, and Parnon,

as well as on several islands in the western Aegean Sea.

It grows to 90 cm tall

and from June to late August,

it produces 1–6 spectacular red flower heads, each about 5 cm across.

 

As a rare species,

it is protected under Presidential Decree 67/81,

which prohibits collection of specific rare flowers from the wild

for decorative purposes.

 

 

301_2920 [Lilium chalcedonicum]

 A spectacular and unusual flower head

with its characteristic curved petals that grow upwards

while the flower head is always turned downwards!

 

 

A street lamp and something else!

_MG_4579 [street lamp]
 

A beautiful old-style three-head street lamp.

 

In spite of its beauty, though,

what attracted my attention first was not the lamp itself

but a bottle hanging from it!

Now when, how, why, or by whom the bottle was placed there,

is up to anyone’s imagination to find out.

And certainly, you are free to try yours!

 

The picture was taken in a cosmopolitan European city.