Sunday 11 June 2017

OTHER ANIMALS

Summer brings a new parade of bizzing, buzzing, humming creatures.  Four legged, many legged, some peaceful, some come to disturb the peace



The cicada  or tzitziki.  We'll be hearing their shrill high pitched screeching from sun-up till sun-down soon and know that summer has truly begun.  When the heat is unbearable the saying goes

'the cicada is exploding'

Did you know, 
if a cicada was singing right beside your ear it's song is  loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss?





At the top is the discarded casing of the cicada which it leaves behind as it climbs out to adulthood.

The bottom insect is called a 'chrisomiga' or golden fly in Greek.  Their english name appears to be June Bug.  The bug is a bright shiny green and black.  In days gone by small boys would tie a string around one its legs and swing it around over their heads.  I think nowadays a game like this would be frowned on by grown-ups who are more aware of suffering and sensitive to the environment


How would you like to see this as you stepped into the shower?  I kept my cool and took a photo before quishing it.




One of the frogs which spend the summer hiding behind our pot plants in the garden




A lizard, or maybe a salamander.  In Greek it is a 'samyamithi'.
We see loads of these in the evening and the cool of the night.  They come out to hunt mosquitoes and moths and make high pitched squeaky noises



A praying mantis, or maybe a grasshopper.  One of those harmless green jumpy, flying things.  In Greek they are called 'alogakia' or 'little horses'.



An 'Alexander beetle'.  One of my favourite AA Milne poems

I found a little beetle; so that beetle was his name
And I called him Alexander and he answered just the same
I put him in a matchbox and I kept him all the day..
And Nanny let my beetle out - 
yes Nanny let my beetle out -
She went and let my beetle out -
And beetle ran away




One of the many tortoises that roam slowly over field and by-way.


14 comments:

  1. So many insects, it's similar here in the southern states of the US, but happily no scorpions.
    I love those tortoises, I had a huge one in England, he lived to be eighty years old !
    What a sweet post.
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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    1. We have no scorpions here but we did have small ones in Crete. They had a nasty bite but didn't kill.

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  2. I am not keen on creepy crawlies. We get mainly ants here but they don't scare me, they are just a nuisance. The cats bring frogs in the house. I have seem some newts and lizards outside. So long as they stay outside that's ok. Interesting thing you found in the shower!

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    1. Winter time we don't see many nasties but now the weather is warming theyre all coming out to greet us. Spider webs all over the darn place

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  3. Not too good with the creepy crawlies, but I do love tortoises xx

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    1. Tortoises are sweet. We often see them on the side of the road.

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  4. It's those centipedes that I hate the most! Also we have a strange long wasp-like insect that builds inch long earth nests indoors. Nasty.

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    1. Centipedes are the worst. Hard to kill and can give a nasty nip.

      We get those wasps as well. They build their nests in the most unlikely places

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  5. The tzitzikis are really loud here during summer. But unlike the old days. I cannot find find any sign of them.
    Yup. I loved that poem of Alexander the beetle too. I used to get very upset that he ran away lol

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    1. I love a a Milne. That's one which I can still recite.....well the first few lines anyway

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  6. what is the thing in the shower? is it spiney?

    Is that frog poisonous? We have little frogs here, they seem to like it. We have a lot of slugs. The dogs chase them.

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    1. The thing in the shower was not spiny thank goodness. Easy to kill. Dont think the frogs are poisonous because the cats eat them unfortuantely. At night now they are out all over the road. It is very damp at night now.

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  7. Oh I love walking around Poros on an evening hearing all the what I thought were crickets.in the cool of the evening
    Little tavernas on Kanalli are fab sound of beasties and gently lapping waves!.
    .

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    1. Yes, the night is alive with often with the sound of crickets, and other beaties as you say!

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