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Around Agios Georgios,
Arilllas and Agios Stefanos
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In Corfu the best times for tourists to enjoy the wild flowers are in Spring or Autumn.
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The hot dry summers mean that the flowering times of most plants are early in the season and by the middle of May the best of the wild floral display is over. However domestic garden flowers more than make up for this with their colourful and often brilliant displays.
Everywhere else the more tender wild flowers have finished blooming by June and even then their stems and green parts will soon by drying up. However many tougher and colourful flowers will continue throughout the summer.
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For that reason, unless visitors are able to travel out-of-season in March or April, May is a flower lovers' favourite time for visiting Corfu and most of the photographs were taken then.
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Agios Georgios area has several plant habitats nearby ranging from beach to miles of roadside verges; from sunny clearings in the olive groves to open wind-swept headlands; from small meadows to rocky cliffs.
The narrow country lanes along the valley bottom as in Walk 4 on main site, (click on Agios Georgios link on top menu) are great for roadside flowers.
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Outstanding roadside plants along the valley road.
The stately white and purple wild Acanthus is for some reason commonly known as 'Bear's Breeches' and is offered by some UK garden centres and plant nurseries. This one has spiny thistle like leaves.
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If you can get up to Afionas (and everyone should) the windswept limestone headland with its old abandoned fields is often ablaze with colour.
On Agios Georgios beach late-summer visitors may not even notice these untidy clumps of dying herbage and straggly flowers at the beach edge. The leaves of the Sea Daffodil tend to die back early. However look closer and admire the purest white colour of these quite rare flowers which are now conserved... so please do not pick them or disturb the bulbs.
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Sea Daffodils
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Sea Daffodil
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For an interesting and surprising close-up of the Sea Daffodil visit the 'Something Odd' gallery below.
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Autumn-flowering Cyclamen
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After the heat and dryness of the summer Corfu enjoys a 2nd mini-display of wild flowers when autumn rains encourage underground bulbs and corms into life, and bright green new grass to suddenly appear everywhere. Large swathes of mauve coloured cyclamen cover roadside banks and delicate Autumn Crocuses seem to suddenly sprout up.
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The site owner is not a botanist so not many names are given and these pages are merely to show what beautiful things are to be found in this beautiful corner of Corfu by those with the time and willingness to look. (Any contributions about definitely identified subjects or corrections to my notes will be gratefully received)
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As stated these pages are also open for contributions from visitors to (or residents of) nearby resorts and villages.
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These 2 contributions by a visitor to Arillas, show a delightful Iris and a wonderful February display of Bermuda Buttercup flowers, a member of the Oxalis family. Also called the Cape Sorrell it is an introduction from South Africa.
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Wild Iris at Arillas
(taken by Sara Davies)
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Bermuda Buttercups at Arillas
(taken by Sara Davies)
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Flower Photo Galleries
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Some larger flower photographs are provided which may remind you of your Corfu holiday, or encourage you to visit. They are about 35-50 kb and will be slow to download on slow Internet connections.
There are a few galleries arranged in convenient groups with a choice of 'slideshow' or manual control. Some flowers bloom throughout the summer so my 'season' gallery titles are according to when the photograph was taken.
The photographs are not masterpieces but are provided to give some idea as to what sharp-eyed observers can see on their strolls around the area. Most were taken at roadsides and waste ground but a few were taken on the nearby Afionas headland.
Some galleries comprise close-ups and many flowers are shown more than life-size, do don't expect to find those monsters.
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GO TO GALLERIES
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Emails
