Chios Nature

On Monday, 17th July we shall be opening our 9th Wildlife Photography exhibition in the garden at Perivoli, Kampos, Chios. There will be a short prizegiving and we're particularly delighted by the number of primary school children that submitted their work. If you can tell whether the images belong to an adult or a child we will shake you firmly by the hand and offer you a cooling drink! Do join us at 8pm.

With one of the first signs of Spring, captured by Antonia Aga, we announce that once again this year we will be running our Wildlife Photography Competition.

Entry open to all. Please send a maximum of 15 images taken in Chios, Oinousses or Psara to Yannis Voulgaris at [email protected]

Deadline: end of May '23. The five thematic categories are: Animal Portrait, Wild Landscape, Man and Nature, The Magic of Plants, Wild Behaviour

File sizes should be as large as possible for printing and possible inclusion in our Exhibition that will open in July.

Stealing Menelaos Pangalos's photo to alert everyone that it's wild tulip season in Chios again!

It's six months since the sudden death of Mike Taylor - our inspiration and source of dependable information on almost any of the species of flora and fauna that can be met with on Chios. How to remember him without writing pages? Should we talk about his knowledge and love of our little bee orchids or speak of the methodical and painstaking science that went into his study of our moths and butterflies? Or maybe we should remember how passionately he spoke up for the preservation of the island's few remaining wetlands, most notably at Marmaro just to the south of Kardamyla.

Perhaps the most visible monument to his love of the wildlife of Chios is the Dragonfly Reserve that he lobbied hard for and finally had the satisfaction of seeing established. Home to a surprising number of dragon and damsel fly species, the little lake, just outside the village of Armolia, now draws naturalists from Greece and beyond. Mike himself may have left us, but his work lives on!

We are very sad indeed to announce the death of MIKE TAYLOR, friend and mentor, who was the inspiration for the creation of this page and all the events CHIOS NATURE has run since it was established in 2005. Mike's knowledge and enthusiasm for the wild places, creatures and plants of Chios Oinousses and Psara was behind each of the efforts we made together to preserve the wildlife of the island group - and of course much that he did on his own and in collaboration with others.

To mention just a sample: Mike successfully campaigned for public access to the dragonfly lake near Armolia; to stop the encroachment of building at Marmaro Marsh at Kardamyla; wrote checklists of orchids; surverys of lepidoptera and dragonflies and almost certainly much else that we are unaware of with his scientific collaborators and friends at the World Museum Liverpool.

He was an engineer by training and a self-taught naturalist who, like many amateurs, ended up as knowledgeable as any 'pro'. He also took beautiful photographs, and we've selected just one of the hundreds of shots he took at the dragonfly habitat that, due to him is now protected, at Armolia. There's nothing better than being in the presence of someone who can communicate the enthusiasm he feels - and Mike certainly could. That's why the nature tours that he led (bringing many out-of-season visitors to Chios) were so popular.

Mike's loss will be deeply felt by all who care about the wildlife of Chios but we believe his legacy will live on. Let's do what we can to make sure that it does.

Thank you for everything, Mike.

It's a request as the shooting season opens... "BROTHER HUNTERS, PLEASE, DON'T TAKE DOWN THE SKY'S DECORATIONS"

❤️
Μην ξεστολιζετε τον ουρανό 🙏

Sap-sucking shield bugs (or 'stink bugs') actually look after their young. They're easy for predators to spot but the red and black is nature's warning colour scheme... it means "leave me alone, I'm toxic". Generally, it works a treat!
We think these are Eurydema dominulus, but if you know better, please feel free to correct us!

Photo: Kaiti Meresentzi

Chios' resident butterfly lady has done it again! Isn't this just the most harmoniously composed image? The lattice brown butterfly (Kirinia roxelana) whose range covers a large area from Hungary down to the Black Sea, the Balkans, east to Asia Minor and Mesopotamia and as far south as Cyprus, is currently on the wing in Chios and although the food plants of its caterpillar are a variety of grasses, the imago seems keen to sample some summer fruit!

It's properly Spring now that the vernal equinox has been and gone, and that means that bee orchid season is in full swing. Aneta Silwia Zak found herself a "two-for-price-of-one" bargain when she was photographing Ophrys tenthredinifera. The flowers were being used not only to hoodwink the plant's insect pollinators but also as a lure by an extra-terrestrial! The cone-headed mantis (Empusa pennata) lies in wait for the unwary, which it grabs with its front legs and devours on the spot. This one's fairly small but females of the species (which are bigger than the male) can grow up to 10cms long.

Are you shut up indoors, worrying about the health of the people you care about? The blackbirds haven't noticed. They're nesting and raising their young. If we open a window early in the morning, we may hear the magic sound of the male bird defending his territory. It's not only beautiful; it's a tried and tested antidote to human misery and almost guaranteed to raise the spirits. Tolis Flioukas somehow managed to catch this lady as she was bringing food to her young...