Talk by John Fielding

There will be a talk and slide show entitled 'Plants for a Mediterranean Climate' by co-author of the wonderful book Flowers of Crete - John Fielding at BioAroma in Aghios Nikolaos on Monday 25th October - time to be arranged. To register your place at the talk (which is sure to be well attended) please get in touch with julia@flowersofcrete.info.

Spring Flowers Finding Trip 2011

The dates for the Spring Flower and Orchid Finding trip are Tuesday 24th to 31st March - tour of the west of the island from Elafonisi to Rouvas. Dates for the second week Tuesday 31st March to Tuesday 5th April, the east of the island, taking in Katharo Plateau and Thripti mountains with a feast of orchids. Bookings are now being taken. Places are strictly limited, so if you are interested please book early.

More info

Entries for the exhibition should be notified to julia@flowersofcrete.info by the 1st March 2010. Hanging will be 2nd and 3rd May with the exhibition running from 4th to 8th May. The cost of entering is 20 euros per work with a commission fee of 10% on any item sold. This money will go towards the work of Flowers of Crete and the cost of mounting the exhibition. Works can be in any medium except photography, which is the subject of a separate competition entitled The Flowers and Funghi of Europe. Works should be no large than 1 metre by 1.5 metres. Photos of the work should be submitted with the application to me - julia@flowersofcrete.info. Please contact me if you need any further information.

Petition - Help Save the Cretan Palm

Please sign our petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?flowers1&1
to help raise awareness of this threat to our environment.

Art Exhibition at Kolymbari

There will be an art exhibition for the environment during the International Conference on Biodiversity at the Greek Orthodox Academy in Kolymbari in May 2010. The subject of the exhibition will be 'The Flowers of Crete'. Exhibits can be in any medium except photography, which is the subject of a competition which will also be displayed during the conference. if you would like to exhibit, please contact me for further information.

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

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.

Cretan Date Palm

I received have received a photo of a dead palm from John Fielding. This image was taken in Italy and shows the devastation that is caused by the Palm Beetle. Fortunately, as far as we know, the beetle isn't here yet, but with the import of foreign palms, there is a distinct possibility that it will arrive here sooner or later. We are proposing that there be an exclusion zone around the areas of P. theophrasti at Vai and Preveli to prevent this and the possibility of hybridisation. Pressure needs to be put on hotels and developers to stop this happening.

September newsletter

I have just sent out the new improved newsletter for September. If you would like to receive an e-copy and haven't done so, please let me know and I will add you to our mailing list. Julia

Flowers of Crete Calendar

I am working on the Flowers of Crete calendar for 2010 at the moment and we are now taking orders. The subject will be the Endemic Flowers of Crete and you can see a sample of the cover here. Unfortunately, because of spoof orders last time we printed our calendar, we have to ask for pre-paid orders only. The price of the calendar will be 10 euros plus post and packing if required, but supporters in Crete can pick up their copies from Committee members or at our Christmas bazaar.

Bazaar

There will be a Bazaar for Flowers of Crete at Cindy's Bar on Sunday 18th October at 10.00 a.m. to 1.00p.m. Please come along and support us. There will be home baking, produce, books, dvds and bric-a-brac. We still need donations of items for sale so if you have anything to offer please get in touch with a member of the Committee.

Jenny Moody's talk

We would really appreciate offers of prizes for the raffle on Saturday 25th June at BioAroma to help raise money for the work of Flowers of Crete. We rely on donations of prizes for the raffle, as the event is free as a way of raising public awareness of the need for conservation. A lot of work goes into organising and promoting these events and we have to use Flowers of Crete money to put these important slideshows and lectures on - money which could be used for the upkeep of the website and to pay for informational and education literature.

Flowers of Crete Monthly Newsletter

If you would like to register to receive the Flowers of Crete monthly newsletter, either by e-mail or hard copy, please send your details to julia@flowersofcrete.info E-mail copies are sent free of charge, but a yearly subscription of 20 euros to cover costs is required for hardcopies sent by regular mail. This newsletter will keep you up-to-date with developments on Crete and also shows a selection of images of native plants and flowers, together with a short description. Hardcopies can also be obtained from members of the Committee of Flowers of Crete at a cost of 1 euro per issue.

February flowers

Examples of flowers in bloom in February. For more images on our Flower Calendar, please visit www.flowersofcrete.info

Talk by Nick Turland on the Endangered Wildflowers of Crete

There will be a talk in Aghios Nikolaos, Crete, on Saturday, 21st March at BioAroma by the botanist and expert on Cretan wild flowers, Nicholaos Turland. Entrance to the talk will be free, but there will be a collection towards the costs of forming a Sylogos for Flowers of Crete and printing costs for leaflets, etc. The talk will commence at 7.30 p.m. and the evening will also include a tour around the essential oils distillery and small folklore museum. If you are interested in obtaining a ticket, please e-mail julia@flowersofcrete.info.