Nature in Greece | Mountains, lakes, forests, fauna and flora
Allium ursinum or wild garlic
Wild garlic also known as ramsons or bear leek, is a wild relative of chives and is native to Zagori. The Latin name is due to the brown bear’s taste for the bulbs and its habit of digging up the ground to get at them;…
Orchis ustulata
Orhis ustulata or Neotinea ustulata (burnt-tip orchid) is a European terrestrial orchid native to mountains in central and southern Europe, growing at up to 2,400 m (7,900 ft) elevation. It has erect stems carrying 2 to 3, basal in a rosette, oblong, unmarked leaves…
Morchella deliciosa
Morchella deliciosa is a species of edible fungus in the family Morchellaceae. It is a widespread species that is characterized by having white ridges, at least when young. They are found growing in the mountain of Mitsikeli, in the Zagori region in Epirus, under fir…
Morchella esculenta
Morchella esculenta, (commonly known as common morel, morel, yellow morel, true morel, morel mushroom, and sponge morel) is a species of fungus in the Morchellaceae family of the Ascomycota. It is one of the most readily recognized of all the edible mushrooms and highly…
Anacamptis picta
Anacamptis picta or Anacamptis morio subsp. picta, a Mediterranean subspecies of Anacamptis morio, can be found in the National park of Pindus, in short, poor grasslands, meadows, alpine pastures and forest fringes at elevations up to 2000 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing terrestrial…
Spring in Pindus National park
The following photographs were taken in mid April 2014 during a walk in the woods of Zagori. It is a small sample of the vast variety of wild flowers, among other rich flora of the National Park of Pindus, that abound in the area during…
Spring wild asparagus
Greek: άγρια σπαράγγια April is the month to gather asparagus in the Zagori region of the National Park of Pindus, Greece. A walk in the woods of, mostly Quercus coccifera trees, will reward you with the tasty asparagus shoots. Bear in mind that only…
Easter poppies in Greece
Flamboyantly splattered on the fields, paparounes (παπαρούνες), the Greek name of red poppies, are evocative of traditional red Easter eggs and a precursor of Greek Orthodox Easter. Poppies dominate the reborn nature during Easter in the Zagori region in the mountains of Pindus. Handmade…
Urtica urens
Greek: Τσουκνίδα Urtica urens, a herbaceous annual plant species of the genus Urtica that abounds in the mountainous region of Zagori in Northern Greece. It can be found almost everywhere, by the paths, treks, gardens, meadows … Urtica urens, commonly known as annual nettle, dwarf…
Melissa officinalis
Greek: μελισσόχορτο Melissa officinalis (lemon balm), also known as balm or balm mint and not to be confused with bee balm (which is genus Monarda), is a perennial herb in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to center-southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It is…
