Of wild flowers and ancient mythology
The island is wearing a wonderful garland of flowers this spring. The grass verges look like they've been decorated for a rural wedding, with purple honesty and yellow mustard flowers complimenting each other obligingly , while white daisies act as ethereal highlighters, softly pointing the way. It's the most beautiful time of year in Greece and in Corfu in particular. Greece has more species of flowering plants and ferns than any other country in Europe. There are some 6,000, six times more than France and making the British Isle’s 2,300 seem paltry in comparison. According to Hellmut Baumann in his book Greek Wild Flowers and plant lore in ancient Greece , ‘nowhere in Europe have conditions been more favourable for the development of such rich flora. This is due to diverse combinations of geological, topographical and climatological conditions’. One of my favourite sights is of the olive groves full of the giant spikes of ...