Ο κρητικός Φοίνικας εκπέμπει σήμα SOS…
Βρισκόμαστε στη δυσάρεστη θέση να ενημερώσουμε τα μέλη και τους υποστηρικτές μας ότι, την προηγούμενη εβδομάδα, η Rosemary βρήκε ένα νεκρό αρσενικό δείγμα του καταστρεπτικού κόκκινου ρυγχωτού κανθάρου φοινικών στην πλατεία της Ελούντας. Αυτό το έντομο είναι μια απειλή στα ενδημικά κρητικά δάση φοινικών σε Βάι και Πρέβελη και πρέπει να καταβληθεί κάθε προσπάθεια που θα καταφέρει να σταματήσει την καταστρεπτική του μανία. Έχει βρεθεί και στον Άγιο Νικόλαο αλλά και κατά μήκος της ακτής μεταξύ Ηρακλείου και Μιλάτου, όπου πολλά μολυσμένα δέντρα έχουν ήδη ξεραθεί.
Όλες οι αρμόδιες αρχές έχουν ενημερωθεί και θα σας ενημερώνουμε για το ποια μέτρα λαμβάνονται ώστε να ελέγξουν αυτήν την απειλή.
Στο μεταξύ, τοποθετούμε μια φωτογραφία αυτού του ρυγχωτού κανθάρου.
Εάν βρίσκετε αυτό το έντομο, παρακαλούμε να το καταστρέψτε και να κρατήστε τα υπολείμματα. Παρακαλούμε επίσης να το φωτογραφίστε και να μας στείλετε τις λεπτομέρειες στην παρακάτω ηλεκτρονική διεύθυνση www.flowersofcrete. info, έτσι ώστε να μπορούμε να ενημερώσουμε τις αρμόδιες αρχές. Τα δέντρα που έχουν επηρεαστεί σοβαρά πρέπει άμεσα να καταστραφούν. Όσον αφορά τα υπόλοιπα δέντρα στην περιοχή μπορούν να ψεκαστούν και έτσι οι παγίδες φερορμονών θα μπορούν να συλλάβουν τους ρυγχωτούς κανθάρους.
Όπως μπορείτε να δείτε είναι ένα μεγάλο έντομο με ισχυρά φτερά που του δίνουν την δυνατότητα να διανύει αποστάσεις.
Η Rosemary και εγώ ήρθαμε σε επαφή με την Κάλλια Πεδιαδίτη στο ΜΑΙΧ - το Μεσογειακό Αγρονομικό Ινστιτούτο Χανίων – η οποία έχει κάνει μια περιεκτική μελέτη πάνω στον κρητικό φοίνικα, παίρνοντας έτσι συμβουλές για τους τρόπους που ο σύλλογός μας «Flowers of Crete » μπορεί να βοηθήσει ώστε να διαδώσει τις απαιτούμενες πληροφορίες. Το τοπικό συμβούλιο της Ελούντας είναι επίσης ενημερωμένο γύρω από αυτήν την κατάσταση και θα ληφθούν μέτρα για την αντιμετώπισή της.
Friday, 13 November 2009
The Daffodil Principle
This was sent to me by Sharon Collins in Canada - and I felt it was worth posting here -
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother... you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.
"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "Please turn around."
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, " Daffodil Garden ." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.
It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swir led and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.
On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline.. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.
That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world .
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"
Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....
Until your car or home is paid off
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother... you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.
"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "Please turn around."
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, " Daffodil Garden ." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.
It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swir led and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.
On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline.. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.
That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world .
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.
She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"
Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....
Until your car or home is paid off
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Curry Night at Limnes
We are holding a Curry Night at Limnes on 20th November. Tickets for the meal are 10 euros each - bring a bottle. Numbers are limited so please let Julia or one of the committee know in plenty of time if you want to come along.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Red Palm Weevil
We now have up to date information on how to protect healthy palms and what to do with infected palms. If you need advice please let us know.
Next Bazaar
The next fund raising bazaar for Flowers of Crete will be held as usual at Cindy's Bar in Aghios Nikolaos on Sunday 15th November from 10.00 - 1.00. Please come along and support us. Lots of cheap books, as well as home baking, preserves, etc. Good quality second hand clothes, bric-a-brac and much more.
Friday, 6 November 2009
Prevention and Protection
Methods of Control
Plant Quarantine:
The transport of offshoots as planting material from infested areas can contribute to the spread of the pest. Strict quarantine at international and national levels should be applied.
Cultural Control:
Field sanitation and cultural practices are one of the important components to prevent weevil infestation.
1- Clean the crown of palms periodically to prevent decaying of organic debris in leaf axils.
2- Avoid cuts and injuries.
3- When green leaves are cut, cut them at 120 cm away from the base.
4- Cutting of steps in palms for easy climbing is to be avoided, as this provides sites for egg laying by weevils.
5- As palms affected by leaf rot and bud rot diseases are more prone to weevil infestation, they are to be treated with suitable fungicides; after that, application of any insecticide to prevent egg laying by weevils is essential.
6- Destroy all dead palms harboring the pest by cutting and burning.
Mechanical Control:
Dead palms or palms beyond recovery are to be split open, exposing the different stages of the pest present inside and the debris, including the out logs and crowns, are to be burned.
Trapping the Weevils:
Trapping the weevils and destroying them is another method by which weevil populations can be brought down.
Biological Control:
No effective biological agent, which can be employed for the biological control of the pest has been found..
Chemical Control:
A- Preventive.
B- Curative.
Training and Education:
In order to successfully implement weevil management the cooperation of the public is essential. For any large scale pest management program to succeed, it is imperative that the public cooperate and involve themselves at the operational level. This can be achieved by making the population aware of the seriousness of the problem and training him in various IPM skills.
The only effective control is to cut down all infested palms and destroy them at an early stage so the nests of larvae cannot hatch and repopulate an area. The trunk of the palm needs to be split open and all stages destroyed. Burning the head does not kill the stages in the middle of the trunk. Thus, the whole trunk should be chopped and burned.
Adapted from the website www.redpalmweevil.com
Plant Quarantine:
The transport of offshoots as planting material from infested areas can contribute to the spread of the pest. Strict quarantine at international and national levels should be applied.
Cultural Control:
Field sanitation and cultural practices are one of the important components to prevent weevil infestation.
1- Clean the crown of palms periodically to prevent decaying of organic debris in leaf axils.
2- Avoid cuts and injuries.
3- When green leaves are cut, cut them at 120 cm away from the base.
4- Cutting of steps in palms for easy climbing is to be avoided, as this provides sites for egg laying by weevils.
5- As palms affected by leaf rot and bud rot diseases are more prone to weevil infestation, they are to be treated with suitable fungicides; after that, application of any insecticide to prevent egg laying by weevils is essential.
6- Destroy all dead palms harboring the pest by cutting and burning.
Mechanical Control:
Dead palms or palms beyond recovery are to be split open, exposing the different stages of the pest present inside and the debris, including the out logs and crowns, are to be burned.
Trapping the Weevils:
Trapping the weevils and destroying them is another method by which weevil populations can be brought down.
Biological Control:
No effective biological agent, which can be employed for the biological control of the pest has been found..
Chemical Control:
A- Preventive.
B- Curative.
Training and Education:
In order to successfully implement weevil management the cooperation of the public is essential. For any large scale pest management program to succeed, it is imperative that the public cooperate and involve themselves at the operational level. This can be achieved by making the population aware of the seriousness of the problem and training him in various IPM skills.
The only effective control is to cut down all infested palms and destroy them at an early stage so the nests of larvae cannot hatch and repopulate an area. The trunk of the palm needs to be split open and all stages destroyed. Burning the head does not kill the stages in the middle of the trunk. Thus, the whole trunk should be chopped and burned.
Adapted from the website www.redpalmweevil.com
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Red Palm Weevil
We have now informed the town council of Elounda of the appearance of the weevil and also have taken advice on what to do from Kallia Pediaditis at MAICH in Hania. Apparently the weevil is destroying the palms along the coast from Heraklion to Milatos and has now also been found in Aghios Nikolaos.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Red Palm Weevil
Very worryingly, Rosemary and I have found a male Red Palm Weevil - fortunately dead - in Elounda. This is the beetle that is killing the date palms on the island and the one that it is vital doesn't get to Vai. If I could post a photo here I would, but there will be a photo in this months newsletter. Please look at it and remember it, in case you come across one somewhere. An infestation means certain death for the palm.
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