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.
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 […]
Botanical Garden - The Story "For the first time in human history, humans are disconnected from their natural environment and Mother Earth. It's the first era where living in a technological milieu, surrounded by the stimuli of a virtual reality, dominates our spaces, from homes to offices, with gadgets like TVs, computers, and smartphones shaping […]
The Cretan Diet is not simply a way of eating.It is a way of living in relationship with the land. Long before it became the subject of study, admiration and international recognition, the Cretan Diet existed as everyday wisdom. It was shaped through simplicity, seasonality, care and the deep connection between people and the natural […]
Gastronomy does not begin on the plate.It begins in the land. In the plants that take root in a place, in the herbs that grow with the rhythm of the seasons, in the fruits that ripen under the sun, and in the people who know how to read the landscape and transform it into food, […]
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