Tragopogon sinuatus

301_9536 [Tragopogon sinuatus]

 

The flower head of Tragopogon sinuatus (or porrifolius) in moments of “beauty and glory”.

It normally remains wide open like this for a few hours and then the bracts close up to reopen later

and reveal a conspicuous pappus (next picture). 

 

Mt. Kyllini, May 12, 2009

 

 

804_0012 [Tragopodon sinuatus]

 The spherical clock-like pappus consists of numerous parachute-like seeds

that detach from their base and fall on the ground 

(One of them has been accidentally captured in this picture)

or are drifted by the wind to places where they can produce new plants in due time.

 

Mt. Hymittos, May 14, 2022

 

 

801_4670 [Tragopogon sinuatus]

 A “parachute-like seed” of Tragopogon sinuatus

magnified for details to be easily seen.

 

 

Fritillaria graeca

802_2827 [Fritillaria graeca]

 

This flower is native to the Balkans.

It grows to a height of about 25 cm and blooms from Mid-March to May.

 

It was photographed on Mt. Hymittos on March 8, 2023

 

 

Fritillaria obliqua

303_1790 [Fritillaria obliqua]

 

Fritillaria obliqua is a rare flower endemic to Attica and Evoia where it grows in very small populations.

Unfortunately, for various reasons it is threatened with extinction.

This is the reason why it is included in the “Red Book of the Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece”

and is protected by Law.

 

It blooms from early February to early April at altitudes from sea level to 1000 m.

mostly on rocky sites with sparse bushy vegetation.

 

 

303_6148 [Fritillaria obliqua]

Both pictures were taken at Shinias in Attica.

 

Neotinea lactea

801_2759 [Neotinea lactea]

This wild orchid is found in countries of Southern Europe as well as in Algeria and Tunisia

on elevations of up to 1800 m.

Mature, flowering plants reach a height between 10 to 25 cm.

 

The picture was taken at the area of Marathonas in Attica.

 

 

Romulea linaresii subsp. graeca

IMG_2098 [Romulea linaresii]

 

This dwarf plant with small flowers (up to 1.5 cm wide) flourishes in the Balkans but has been on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Endangered Plants since 1997. 

 It blooms from February to April.

 

Photographed on Tourkovounia (in Athens) on February 23, 2023

 

 

Anacamptis collina

IMG_0404 [Anacamptis collina]

 

One of the first orchids to flower. It blooms from January to April in two consecutive waves.

It is quite rare and appears in localized populations in heights of up to 1300 meters.

It is found in few locations of the Peloponnese but it is more common in Crete and Rhodes.

 

Photographed at the foot of Mt. Egaleo in Attica

in the month of January a few years ago. 

 

 

302_5136 [Anacamptis collina]

 

From the island of Iracleia in Cyclades

 

Alexandos Papagos

IMG_1294 [Papagos]

 

Field Marshal Alexandros Papagos (1883-1955)

Commander-in-chief of the Greek National Forces (1940-1941 and 1949)

Prime Minister of Greece (1952-1955)

 

The man for whom Winston Churchill on December 4, 1940 said:

“I wish Papagos would command the British army”.

 

The sculpture above, crafted by Iraklis Xanthopoulos,

was wisely placed a few meters away

from the entrance to the Greek Ministry of Defense in Athens.

 

 

 

IMG_1294 [Papagos]

 

This picture was taken through a hedge

that surrounds the little “Pl. Enoplon Dynameon” (= Greek Military Forces sq.)

where the statue was placed in 2000.

 

Both photographed on October 23, 2022

The Runner

IMG_1054 [Runner]

 

I have a piece of advice for you, my friends. If you are ever caught up driving in a traffic jam, lower your window and have your mobile phone ready. You may be lucky to see “The Runner” or something else interesting enough for you to press the trigger. This is what happened to me in the center of Athens on September 25, 2022.

 

The Runner is a piece of work created by the sculptor Kostas Varotsos in memory of the Greek Marathon Race winner Spyros Luis. Currently, it is standing on a little square next to a well-known hotel in central Athens but reportedly there are plans to move it to Omonoia square.

 

For more info and a different view of the Runner please click HERE.

[Clicking is free and doesn’t cost a penny!😂]