10th -17th September - Corfu, Greece - The Olive Tree

A couple of days into the holiday we were sitting in the bar and I was taken by the Olive tree just outside.  I took this photograph as I liked the way the trunk twisted and contrasted with the sea in the background and grass.

There are many Olive Trees around the resort and we had already commented on the gnarled appearance and holes around the trunk and I started to think it would be nice to photograph tem and then convert them into black and white.

Which is what I have done.  Here is a portfolio of the various Olive tree trunks around the resort along with some information on the Olive.

The olive has deep historical, economic, and cultural significance in the Mediterranean. It was one of the first fruit trees to be domesticated, being first cultivated in the Eastern Mediterranean between 6,000 and 4,000 BC. It gradually spread around the Mediterranean Basin via trade and human migration. Olive cultivation was vital to the growth and prosperity of several Mediterranean civilisations.

The olive is cultivated throughout the Mediterranean Basin, and in other regions with a suitable climate. Spain, Italy, and Greece lead the world in commercial olive production. There are many cultivars, some used primarily for oil, others for eating. Approximately 80% of all harvested olives are processed into oil, with the rest cured and fermented as table olives.

As one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees on Earth, the history of the olive is deeply intertwined with humans; its ecological success and expansion is largely the result of human activity rather than environmental conditions, with the tree's genetic and geographic trajectory directly reflecting the rise and fall of several civilisations. Owing to this relationship with humans, the olive has been disseminated well beyond its native range, spanning 28.6 million acres across 66 countries. Fossil evidence indicates that the olive tree had its origins 20–40 million years ago in the Oligocene, in what now corresponds to Italy and the eastern Mediterranean Basin.

  

Olive trees have been venerated for their resilience and longevity since antiquity; several specimens are reputed to be several thousand years old. However, compared to other woody plants, the exact lifespan is difficult to determine through common methods like dendrochronology (analysing tree rings) due to the olive tree's irregular growth patterns, which can include missing annual tree rings, hollowed-out interiors, and multiple trunks. For example, a 2013 study revealed wide disparities among different laboratories conducting tree-ring dating of the same specimens. 

Although age can be inferred from a tree's diameter, this method is imperfect due to a range of other factors that affect size and length, such as soil fertility and climatic conditions. Based on a combination of tree-ring and radiocarbon dating, olive trees have maximum ages between 300 and 500 years, with some research finding that most of the oldest trees had lived for up to 700 years.

There is a large tree in the main foyer of the resort and this is reputed to be at least 400 years old.

This is actually a hole in the trunk.

The fruit is eaten as table olives; the oil extracted from the fruit is used in food and formerly for lamp fuel; and the wood is used for decorative objects. The olive branch is a symbol of peace. The olive is a core ingredient in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, particularly in the form of olive oil, and a defining feature of local landscapes, commerce, and folk traditions.

The roots from the base of the trunk reaching out into the grass.

The blurred image is actually another olive trunk in the foreground.

Whether or not these images do the Olive justice is really down to whoever looks at them.  I just found it an interesting subject.

10th - 17th September - Corfu, Greece - Butterflies and Insects

I had the chance to find some butterflies around the gardens of the resort in Corfu over the course of the week we were away.  A surprise was to find this Silver-washed Fritillary, but I suppose with the warm weather their flying time is extended.

It was attracted to the verbena that was flowering under one of the many Olive Trees.

Here showing off the 'silver wash' on the under hind wing.

Also around the verbena were bees, these were quite distinctive with brown stripes on the abdomen.  These are called Brown-striped Digger or Carder Bees.  They are quite common and are found in the UK and most of Europe to the west of Russia.

Walking to my sun bed around the middle of the week I spotted this Hummingbird Hawkmoth around the verbena.

Any other year I would have been thrilled to see one, but there have been so many in the UK this summer.

Another butterfly that I would have been pleased to find was the Long-tailed Blue.  They could be seen around the flowers, mostly female with a few a males chasing them.  Again, in the UK, Long-tailed Blues have started to appear along the south coast with several being seen in Hampshire.

They are constantly flying about chasing each other, but eventually settle on a leaf.  They are lovers of warm weather and sunshine and this makes them so active.

The only other butterfly of note was another common butterfly seen in the United Kingdom, the Meadow Brown.  This though a female of the Hispulla transitional variation.

A very poor photograph of a Silver Y moth.

On the there was a Praying Mantis that took occupation of one of the lights along the path close to the restaurant.  I saw it first thing in the morning going to Breakfast and it stayed in the same place until rain came along late afternoon.  Almost motionless it was quite simple to photograph.

My favourite with the sparkling water providing the background for a silhouette.

On the second from last night the rain that washed the mantis away was a very heavy thunder storm and as a result on our last day there were more butterflies about.  I saw Berger's Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady and a White Admiral that I could not be specific about.  Neither of these stopped for pictures.  But then in the afternoon just as we were thinking of going back to the room a Swallowtail came through and took a liking to the Bougainville and I was able to get some photos.

Unfortunately nothing new, but all were nice to see and in some really beautiful, well kept gardens.

12th September - Paxos, Greece

We were back in Corfu, this time just the two of us, a different resort, but not that far from where we were staying in July.  Today we were on a trip to the island of Paxos, the smallest of the Ionian islands, situated about eight nautical miles to the south of Corfu.  Our boat was leaving from the port of Lefkimmi, a thirty minute drive from our resort.  It was an all day trip with an early start, but we had time for some breakfast and the chance to witness a wonderful sun rise.

We left Lefkimmi with a full boat and set off south in some calm water.  The hope was we might see some dolphins so I was on watch, but they had not read the script.

The trip to Paxos would take just over an hour and pretty soon we could see the island.

So now time for some Mythology to explain haw these islands were made:  Paxos owes its origin to Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Wanting a secluded sanctuary to share with his lover the sea nymph Amphitrite, Poseidon struck the southern tip of Corfu with his trident, splitting off a piece of land to create a tranquil island hideaway.

Legend says Poseidon struck Corfu with such force that he dropped his trident in the process. The inhabitants of Paxos found the weapon and adopted it as their island emblem.

We sailed around the northern tip of the island and then down the west side of the island.  The island consists mainly of limestone and the west side of the island has been subjected to the brute force of the sea eroded the cliffs which has produced visible strata.

With the sun predominantly in the east the cliffs were striking as dark monoliths and the sparkling sea.

Sea erosion has not only exposed the rock on the cliffs, but weaknesses in the limestone has been exploited by the force of the sea to create caves and of course this has led to more mythology.

We sailed into a bay with high cliffs above us.

There are two large caves and these are also linked with Poseidon.  Myth holds that Poseidon built a majestic submerged palace inside these cavernous sea grottos. The stark white limestone cliffs on the west coast were said to be remnants of this divine underwater complex.

 The largest and most famous of the Paxos sea caves, measuring around 20 meters tall at its entrance is the Ypapanti Cave. Beyond its tie to Poseidon's realm, local legend claims a hidden tunnel once connected the back of the cave directly to the inland Ypapanti Church. During World War II, the Greek submarine Papanikolis famously used this massive cavern as a hiding spot from enemy forces.

We were able to a short way into the cave, but the high tide restricted us going too far.

Azure blue waters.

Further south there is another set of caves.  The Achai Caves are a network of connected caves where, on windy days, incoming waves create deep, booming acoustics that sailors traditionally likened to the voice or presence of Poseidon.

Off shore from the Achai Caves is a large monolith or sea stack, which is said to be the door that was in place on the Ortholithos caves.

We were now heading south to Antipaxos, a small island at the southern tip of Paxos

Much of the hilly landscape is covered in olive groves. These stretch from Lakka, the harbour community in the north, through Magazia to Gaios, the capital. Coastal communities of Gaios, Lakka and Longos on the east coast are the three main settlements, while the interior features numerous scattered hamlets. The west coast is dominated by steep white, chalky cliffs that are greatly eroded at sea level, and harbour many "blue caves". The highest point of the island is Agios Isavros at an elevation of 231 m. Several islets lie very close to the coast of Paxos: Agios Nikolaos and Panagia protect the harbour of Gaios, while Mongonisi and Kaltsonisi lie off the southeastern tip.  As we cruised towards Antipaxos you could see villas and farms on the island of Paxos with of course the windmills.

Antipaxos is located 3km south of Corfu and is the smallest of the Ionian Islands; a tiny place only 5km long with a small population of around 50 people.  We pulled into a bay where most of the boat went for a swim in the clear blue water

The mainland of Greece not too faraway

And plenty of fish in the sea.

From Antipaxos we cruised north to the capital of Paxos, Gaios.  The town is protected by an island that sits of shore and creates a quiet harbour.

We had a couple of hours to get some lunch and wander around the narrow lanes of the town.  We found a cafe on the waterfront with a lovely view out across the harbour.

But as our lunch arrived these two large ships arrived with exhaust and lots of people right in front of us!

This small church in the middle of the town.

Back on the boat for our return trip, the clouds were gathering away to the north west were looking quite spectacular, were storms coming?

We left Gaios going around the island and out the other entrance giving us the chance to see some more of the town.

Some of the older buildings on the waterfront.

The wind picked up as we headed back to Corfu sending spray from the front of the boat.  The crew were concerned that a storm was coming, but unfortunately it didn't hit us.  As we approached the southern tip of the island the shapes in the limestone cliffs looked like the sails of yachts on the water.

It was good to see some more of the regions and it was a lovely trip.  There will be further posts from Corfu, but these will be capturing some of the scenes of the island and a few of the insects found around the resort.