Amanita caesarea

Fresh Amanita Caesarea in a forest in the Zagori area in Ioannina

Amanita caesarea, commonly known in English as Caesar’s mushroom, is a highly regarded edible mushroom in the genus Amanita, native to Zagori, Greece. This mushroom was a favorite of early rulers of the Roman Empire hence it’s name Caesarea. It was known to and valued…

Autumn mushrooms

Autumn mushrooms, boletus aereus and amanita caesarea, in Zagori

Autumn is the best time to go hunting for mushrooms. The past few weeks were quite rainy for the season so when the temperature rose a bit and the sun shone the magic world of the fungi made it’s glorious appearance in the forests…

Blackberries

Blackberry picking season in the mountains of Epirus

Greek: βατόμουρα A purply black-coloured berry comprising many individual seed-containing fruits surrounding a cone-shaped core. Wonderfully juicy, they’re good raw (straight from the hedge!) or cooked and are bursting with vitamin C. Wild, they’re often called brambles meaning any impenetrable scrub. Sometimes called the “Cabernet…

Bears in Pindos, Greece

Brown bears in their natural habitat in Northern greece

Brown bear distribution range in Greece comprises 2 distinct nuclei of unequal size, covering a total of about 11,000 km², and seems to have stabilized for the last 20 years after dramatic regression in the 19th century. The study area for the ecological analysis…

Wildflower photos

Wild flowers of Pindos Mt. range in Greece

Greece constitutes the lower edge of the Balkan Peninsula and is characterized both by its mountainous relief and its multitude of islands. Its modern form evolved over the last 10 million years with the sinking of some parts of Aegaeis and the uplifting of others…

Forest fruit

Prunus spinosa | The specific name spinosa is a Latin term indicating the pointed and thornlike spur shoots characteristic of this species. The common name "blackthorn" is due to the thorny nature of the shrub, and its very dark bark

The forests of the National Park of Vikos-Aoos produce a vast variety of fruit throughout the whole year. Some are mentioned below but are only a small part of the richness of the land. Crabapples (Greek: άγρια μήλα) Apple trees are typically 4–12 m…