If we are not helping our neighbours with their olive trees, which seem to need a lot of attention, or doing our weekly shop and the weather is nice, Simone and I like to go for a walk. With current restrictions, we are supposed to stay within a 2km radius of our home, but on the walks we take we do not meet anyone, so I guess we are ok.
A few days ago, we decided to trek across our valley and climb part of the mountain opposite our cottage. The roads up the mountains are very Lundy like, and a four-wheel drive is required if you are driving. They are very steep in places which is good for a workout. Baclava tends to stick to the bones!
Just recently, marsh frogs have begun calling, so as we were walking I was scanning the ditches and puddles. I managed a few shots when something moved in front of me. There, sunning itself was the biggest lizard I had ever seen in the wild. It was 400mm long at least, and a wonderful green colour with quite small scales. It turned out to be a Balkan green lizard and apparently can grow to half a metre in length. I managed to get a few shots before it disappeared into a bank. Now I was on the lookout for dragons as well as frogs, but unfortunately, I did not see any more.
As we climbed up the mountain road, it got steeper and hotter, and I began to regret how much clothing I was wearing. There were plenty of clouded yellow and brimstone butterflies flitting about with the occasional painted lady. I tried to photograph these as well as the long-legged buzzards circling above and a pair of sparrowhawks who were working the valley below. I was checking the brambles below me at the roadside when a butterfly took off. It was a species I had not seen before, creamy yellow, with black and red markings, absolutely beautiful. I followed it as it pitched on more brambles, but the shots were not great as there always seemed to be more brambles in the way. That did not stop me being incredibly happy, with 2 new species in an hours walking. The butterfly turned out to be a Southern festoon, and they herald the start of Spring in the Mediterranean.
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