Endemism in Crete reaches a percentage that varies from 10 to 50% of species, with the low percentage constantly increasing from year to year.
What does endemism mean, however? It means that there are exclusively specific organisms in a certain area, which implies a greater responsibility for their maintenance.
In absolute numbers, one can find 623 species of plants in Crete, with the native ones reaching 1742 and the imported 140, according to a relevant study.
2 of the 623 species are endemic to Crete, while 159 of the 1742 are also considered endemic.
The reasons that Crete is basically a micro-world of flora is its geographic isolation, the existence of many different biomes, the fact that glaciers never reached Crete, and because it serves as a crossroads between three continents; Europe, Asia and Africa.
Areas such as the White Mountains and some islets are home to many endemic species, essentially serving as an "invitation" for botanists from around the world to study them.
When someone mentions the cheeses of Crete, they certainly add to the “picture” the mizithra, the gruyere and the athotyro. In Crete, cheese is consumed in every hour of the day, from morning until late at night, as an accompaniment or as a main meze, an appetizer or even as a dessert. It is never […]
It is even honored with a celebration in the village of Fournes each May. It is one of the most picturesque orange-villages of the Municipality of Platanias in the Valley of Keritis. Flower water is made from the distillation of aromatic plants and flowers through steam. In the case of Cretan flower water, it is […]
Perhaps the best and most delicious honey in Greece is the thyme honey of Crete that is worth tasting! The fine thyme honey is collected from traditional hives in natural thyme habitats, mainly in the White Mountains. In the Cretan Madares, the wild Cretan thyme, a unique aromatic plant, is a permanent “resident”, with bees […]
The breeders of the White Mountains are in the koumi and the mitata with the animals and the herds both in winter and summer. Life in this wild landscape is lonely and harsh, despite the herds. Despite the passage of time, the traditional way of raising livestock has not been altered. For every shepherd, his […]
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.