April

Ο Απρίλιος

12 April 2022

April in Skopelos is a wonderful month, the air is cool but on most days the sun is warm and bright, heralding the summer months. Occasional rainy days refresh the vigorously growing vegetation and fills the seasonal fresh water streams and springs.

Flowers of many colours too numerous to list, fill the fields, border the roadside verges and brighten the forest clearings. At an early phase of the season the fields and olive groves dominated by yellow are quickly joined by the brilliant red of poppies, pink mallows and magenta of wild gladioli, against a succulent background of fresh green. The colours if put together by humans would appear to clash, but nature blends them beautifully.

It is the time of flowering of magnificent irises, pure white, yellow or or deep purple, which many people have transplanted into their gardens. Flowers with more subtle colours combinations can also to be found at this time of year; the pink spires of pyramidal orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis) contrasting with the purple tassel hyacinths (Muscari comosum).

A number of the bee orchids have their peak flowering time in April, with the intriguing little bumble bee orchid appearing in damp grassland and the delicate woodcock orchid (Ophry scolpax) along the edge of forest tracks.

Blue-mauve bell  flowers appear on bare rocks; these are Campanula scopelia, a special species, found only on Skopelos and Alonissos and nowhere else in the world. It is also the peak time for simple yellow and white daisy like flowers including the Greek endemic chamomile, Anthemis chia.

A walk in the countryside will not only treat you to the sight  of beautiful wildflowers but you will also be subjected to the aromas of many herbs, which are often in flower at this time of year; wild french lavender (Lavendula stoechas) with purple its tassels, the small wild thyme with clusters of tiny pink flowers (Thymus longicaulus) and the pinkish spikes of sage (Salvia fruiticaulis), which often surrounded by pink and white rock roses, are abundant along the roadside.

On a walk through the grassland many pleasant though often unidentifiable aromas may surround you, but you are sure to notice the characteristic perfume emitted by the soft young leaves of fennel.

Orthodox Easter is often in April, how appropriate at  the time when families and visitors to the island to celebrate Christ is risen, Christos anesti, they are surrounded by a  new awakening of nature, celebrated by wildflowers of many colours.

A few of the many flowers blooming in April.

Venus’s looking glass                                 Grass pink

Greek chamomile                   Cretan catchfly

Italian orchid                     Italian gladioli