The butterflies steal the show in the Mediterranean, but my top find on our Greek holiday was this glowing metallic dung beetle. It was one of the bonuses of moving a tad more slowly as age advances; P and I were having a rest on the exploration of a fortified Maniot village when it scurried busily past.
The same applied with this cricket, above, with its Nike-like swoosh. I always remember seeing a typical company slogan on a railway platform in New York state: 'You can rest when you're dead'. We weren't dead, I'm glad to say; indeed we were very alive to the world around us. You had to be to spot the southern Peloponnesian moths without the help of a light trap. I didn't find many, but here are few:
I will attempt to ID them later unless a passing expert on Mediterranean insects passes helpfully by. Meanwhile here are some more curious flying creatures from our lovely fortnight. It helps to like, or at least not to mind, bugs of every type if you live around the Med:
The following are not insects, although I tried to kid my grandchildren on WhatsApp that the remarkable Shell Butterfly was one of our finds. Unsuccessfully. I also cannot resist posting one of my few photos of the lightning-fast local lizards.
Finally, on a visit to the excellent museum in Gythio, our nearest town, I thought that I had found a picture of a Maniot butterfly collector. But no. She is netting small, edible birds, one of the ways the 19th century locals made a living in this beautiful but often barren part of the world.
Next time: I will tell you about my excitement at finding Black Hairstreak butterflies half-a-mile from our front door. Here in England, not Greece.
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