| "The actual flowers are the
plant's highest fulfilment, and are not here exclusively
for herbaria, county floras and plant geography: they
are here first of all for delight. " - John
Ruskin |
Mission Statement:
"To heighten awareness of the endangered native flowers of Crete, with the aim to conserve and protect species and their environment for future generations."
In addition to documenting the beautiful diversity of the
flowers found here, it is our intention, through these pages,
to record folklore, medicinal and nutritional information
regarding herbs and other species as it has existed in Crete
for generations. We'd be happy to hear from anyone who can
contribute to this archive of social history.
The vast range of 'horta' or wild herbs is staggering and
the wealth of aural traditions, which surrounds this subject,
is immense and varies from area to area. We also aim to draw
the attention of residents and visitors to the pressing need
for conservation and to this end we are working with botanists,
developers and conservation workers on the island and elsewhere.
Amongst our supporters we have a wide range of skills and
interests, and we are all committed to increasing awareness
of the need to preserve endemic and endangered species for
future generations. At Flowers of Crete we rely very heavily
for identification purposes on the work of John Fielding and
Nick Turland and their superb book 'Flowers of Crete'
which is, sadly, now out of print. We also use for reference
'Wild Edible Plants of Crete' by Kleonikos G. Stavridakis
and 'Flora of the Cretan Area' by Nick Turland and
Lance Chilton, not to mention Antonis Alibertis' excellent
book 'Healing, Aromatic and Edible Plants of Crete'
published by 'Mystis' in Crete.
We are indebted to them all for the massive amount of knowledge
and dedication that has gone into the production of these
books.
I am indebted to Johannes Flohe for his gift of his excellent book Kreta-Crete – Ein einzigartiges Blumenparadies – A Unique Paradise of Flowers. His book contains a large selection of his wonderful flower photographs and information on the flowers and their habitats. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of Johannes’ book, please contact Julia for more Information.
If you would like to support our work, there are many ways
for you to get involved. Please contact Julia at julia@flowersofcrete.info
to let us know you are interested in offering your support.
|
