In the field
Architect of the seabed
A visitor from the Atlantic
Two Eras combined
 is a small fish of the Labridae family and in greek seas there are about twenty species that belong to the same family. However, the Grey Wrasse stands out for a behavior that, although often found among fish, in that case is particularly characteristic. Every year at the end of April the male begins to build a nest carrying small pebbles with his mouth. Within ten days the architect of the seabed constructs a cone-shaped nest with a perimeter that reaches almost half a meter. The nest has a top in order to be easily seen from afar while at one side the male lays seaweed and sticks creating something that looks like a)
. This beautiful seabird, that plays the leading part in dozens of Western European documentaries about sea wildlife, is an occasional but regular visitor to greek waters. With a distribution from the North Atlantic to West Africa, some individuals also visit the Western Mediterranean and few of them reach the Ionian and the Aegean. Northern Gannets have been observed several times in the past in the Ionian Sea and in the sea area around Kythera island. However, their detection is quite difficult, as it is a seabird that prefers open seas and winds, away from the coast. Usually, wandering Northern Gannets that end up in Greece are juvenile, grayish individuals following flocks of seagulls. So meeting with an adult, pure white Gannet is similar to a small lottery win.</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
 sits on a rock observing the surrounding area, in Western Lesvos island. Not exactly and yes. The stone with the purple, yellow and white colours is all that is left of an ancient giant. It is the petrified trunk of a sequoia tree that with its dense leaves and huge branches covered the skies of the area where Lesvos is now located, 20 million years ago. In the same place where the golden meadows of the hills above Sigri now spread, there was a dense forest where sequoias, other conifers, angiosperms, pteridophytes and various ancient plants created a lush forest. All of them were victims of the great geological processes during the end of the Tertiary Period, when volcanic materials covered them, thus maintaining their morphology in excellent condition. With the creation of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos Geopark, the stone giants came to light in a region of the island that is included in the list of the most important areas for the Birds of Greece. Protagonist of the modern avifauna of the Geopark is the rare Cinereous Bunting (Emberiza cineracea) followed by dozens of species such as Cretzschmar's Buntings, Linnets, Corn Buntings, Black-headed Buntings, Blue Rock Thrushes, Western Rock Nuthatches, Rüppell's warblers, Masked Shrikes, Little Owls, Lesser Kestrels, Chukar Partridges, etc. And many of those birds climb onto the petrified trunks to observe their area bridging into a picture 20 million years.</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
The monk seal in Diafani 
The Greek ninespine stickleback 
The beast of the swamp
The overlooked clingfish
 carefully swims away from the coast of Karpathos island near the Port of Diafani. After following a boat in search of food (an opportunity for some net fishing), the seal entered the port and as soon as the engine turned off, made a turn and moved away towards the open sea. North Karpathos and the island of Saria are among the most important habitats for one the rarest mammals of Europe, as in the surrounding area lives a population of at least 30-35 individuals. Yet the threats are not lacking even in such a wild place. Most important of them is the overfishing by large fishing boats with trawl nets that lift everything from the seabed just a few tens of metres from the coast. Fish have become scarce over the years for both the Mediterranean monk seals and the few local fishermen of the region. So the courageous visits by seals in nets and longlines for an easy snack are almost daily phenomenon, testing the patience of the generally stoic fishermen of Northern Karpathos. There are some unique places where industrial fishing on a large scale should be banned. The local coastal fishermen have been living together with the seals for centuries in harmony and so it must continue.</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
 Greek ninespine stickleback (Pungitius hellenicus). A narrow endemic species that lives exclusively in a area of four square kilometer, in the lower reaches of Spercheios river. It is found in habitats with clean waters, calm flow and rich vegetation. They like to hide in the plants where they find various small invertebrates to feed on. The male of the species builds a nest, in late spring, where the female lays her eggs, which then the male oversees. The Greek ninespine stickleback is a critically endangered species (CR) according to the Red Book of Endangered Animals of Greece, as its populations are threatened by the alteration and loss of its habitats. Usually our awareness is limited to bears, wolves, mediterranean seals and other big and beautiful mammals. But right under our feet, in an indifferent pool there is a huge wealth of wildlife that deserves our greatest concern, as all those small animals are protagonists of survival who prove that all nature needs to surprise us is to provide the minimum space.</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
 with his stretched body and beak, balances gracefully in the reeds in Zazari lake. This motionless posture offers the appropriate camouflage for the heron as it perfectly blends with the dense reeds habitat. The great bittern raises his body and at the same time observes with his peripheral vision the )
, which is one of the smallest fish in greek seas, reaching only four centimeters long. It belongs to a class of fish with the general name clingfish and which in Greece are represented by six species. Their name comes from an instrument like a suction cup on their thoracic area that helps them to stick strongly to the rocks against the strong currents. Another distinct feature is that their eyes can look in different directions like chameleons do. The two-spotted clingfish lives on rocky bottoms bordered by gravel and inside posidonia meadows. Its favorite resting places are the inner shells of bivalve mollusks or gastropods, where they find protection. The two-spotted clingfish of the photograph from Donousa island rests in the interior of a banded dye-murex (Hexaplex trunculus) and the small pebbles next to it reflect the very small size of the fish.</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
A living dry leaf 
Stellaras and the autumn daffodils
 is a legendary flower of Greece that blooms in autumn. The name Galanthus comes from the greek words gala “milk)
 is a fish that appears relatively frequently in the Port of Skopelos island. It is a rather unknown and strange fish with very few encounters by fishermen or divers. The name tripletail comes from the form of three of its fins (dorsal, anal and caudal) as at their end look like three lobes resembling tails. The fish is originated in the waters of the East, from Japan to Australia, but over the years it has conquered all the temperate seas of the planet. It seems to have reached greek waters by following wandering objects, a typical behavior of the species. At a young age the fish has a yellowish color with dark spots looking like a dry leaf that floats, fooling its predators. The success of the chromatic and the morphological adaptation is increased by the behavior of the species, as it swims on the surface with the body sideways, just as a dead leaf would float. It usually lives in bays, lagoons, estuaries and calm waters. The regular presence of young individuals in the port of Skopelos proves that the tripletail has now settled in greek seas for good, although mature individuals have not yet been seen. When they grow up they become gray-green and reach the impressive size of one meter. (photo: Northern Sporades Journal).</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
. The white meadow that covers the entire peninsula to the East, is an important resting station for many small birds before their trip to Africa. What is really striking is the numbers of dozens of different species of butterflies arriving to feed on the daffodils nectar. Especially striking is the abundance of the hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum), the butterfly that looks and flies like an exotic hummingbird and is known to greek nature lovers under the name Stellaras or Stellakis. This moth, with the huge proboscis, sucks nectar for the last time before hiding under the stones to overwinter. Their numbers above the small meadow are so large that they offer an ideal opportunity for photography. The only thing that you will not be able to capture in the photo, but surely will be etched into your memory, is the sweet intoxicating smell of the delicate autumn daffodils.</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
 is a strange looking fungus that is shrouded in a veil of mystery, fear and abhorrence. It was first described by the pioneering Flemish doctor and botanist Charles de l’Ecluse in the 16th century. Its original form is egg shaped with white color and as the days pass, it opens wide and turns into a red slimy )
The photosynthetic slug
Ancient vases for nesting 
The architecture of survival
 are digested by the snail, but this is not the case with the chloroplasts, which are distributed in surface cells, that is, in places seen by the sun. Thus the opisthobranch acquires the ability to digest carbon dioxide and convert it into glucose, lipids, even proteins and supplement its nutritional needs. The little sea slug becomes almost autotrophic as all it needs is to take the necessary minerals from the environment. This phenomenon called )
 is a small toad found in ponds and calm waters of the mountains of central and northern Greece. Here's a yellow-bellied toad from the National Park of Valia Calda as it shows off the abdomen in order to deter the predator. This is a typical example of “warning colouring)
 emerges cautiously from a cluster of ancient vases, at the seabed of the island of Kythnos. Those who dive regularly, have seen at least once time, the remnants of the greek history. Ancient shipwrecks and pieces of vases are scattered almost everywhere in greek seas, offering the ideal nesting conditions to a variety of animals, especially octopuses, conger eels and morays. Thus the underwater natural world is combined masterfully with the greek civilization, uniting the centuries into one image. The above combination is almost unique on the planet, attracts thousands of visitors and friends from other countries and reminds us once again that the great wealth of Greece is its natural and cultural heritage.</p>&redirect_uri=https://www.naturagraeca.com/ws/205,267,2,)
 stands next to his masterfully built nest on the vertical rocks over Paralimni lake on the border of the prefectures of Boeotia and Euboea. This little bird builds its flask-shaped nest on inaccessible by predators places using materials such as gravel, mud, manure, hair and feathers. The hard materials give the primary shape and the softer materials are used for the details, such as the size of the opening and the decoration of the outer walls. Around the nest the male places various decorative elements, such as colored pebbles, dead beetles and tufts of wool to attract the female. In fact, the characteristic red spots on the walls of the nest are embedded feathers of insects that belong to the Chrysomelidae family and contribute to the seduction of the female. It is no coincidence that the Roman natural philosopher Pliny The Elder in his book )
The Spider-Man sea cucumber
The rare ruddy shelduck
Just waiting for mommy 
The demon of the black fritillary
 remain wary at the photographic lens in the Aliki (salt marsh) of Naxos. It seems that for another year, these beautiful ducks returned to the area for breeding. The )
 of the Chrysomelidae family is is a parasitic insect that lives on every species of greek fritillaries. It is a beetle that parasitizes many species of the Liliaceae family -mainly lilies and fritillaries - as it feeds on the leaves and the flowers of the plants and lays eggs (up to 450) under the leaves. It is a Palearctic beetle that in recent years has also invaded North America, where its presence there has caused great damage to garden plants of the family Liliaceae. In Greece, you can easily observe the scarlet lily beetle, every spring, wherever there are fritillaries. A beautiful sight and subject for photography as the bright red color is highlighted even more with the dark flowers of the plant. Here a scarlet lily beetle on the impressive Black Fritillaria of Attica (Fritillaria obliqua subsp oblqua).
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Symbiosis in harmony 
Grey and golden plovers 
A fearless jay 
Slow motion hunt
 is hidden among the poisonous tentacles of a Mediterranean snakelocks sea anemone (Anemonia sulcata) in the small bay of Dilesi at South Evoikos Gulf. This is one of the most characteristic symbiotic relationships observed on the Greek seas. The crab finds protection from bigger hunters in the toxic tentacles of the anemone and in the same time it lurks hidden, ready to attack tiny shrimps of the Mysidae family, which live in flocks around the anemone. On the other hand, the anemone seems to benefit from the presence of the crab as the tentacles get cleaned from algae and debris.
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 and grey plovers (Pluvialis squatarola) visit Greece in small groups or solitary and their coexistence is not a common sight, as they appear in relatively different seasons. So their differences are easier to distinct when they appear together. To the left of the photo is the slightly smaller golden plover with the golden color, the small beak and the narrow wings and to the right is the larger grey plover with the gray colors, the heavy beak and the large wings. Apart from the morphological differences, the two species also present different behavior. The golden plover is more suspicious and prefers fields and mudlands and the grey plovers is more fearless and is found exclusively in shallow lagoons and coastlines.
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 attacks with a vertical pounce on a rather unruffled buzzard (Buteo buteo) in the fir forests of Lakmos mountain. Although much smaller, jays are particularly dynamic and fearless. So when they see a bigger predator in their area they attack with quick, careful and flexible movements, turning away just before contact, until they drive away the intruder. The buzzards do not seem to be afraid but fly away in the end, more because they are annoyed by the constant mobbing of the jay. This particular jay needed only five virtual attacks to see the buzzard take off for a quieter perch. Many times jays organize group attacks, a behavior observed also in other crows, such as hooded crows and magpies, and they do not hesitate to fight even big eagles.
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 attacks a black sea urchin (Arbacia lixula) at the island of Donousa. Atlantic tritons are gastropod mollusks that walk slowly on the seabed looking for food. As soon as they spot an urchin they pull out their mouth that looks like a brown tube. Slowly they turn the urchin upside down and with the radula, a chewing anatomical structure located at the base of their oral cavity, they break the shell from the fragile underside of the urchin. A triton takes about half an hour to catch and devour an urchin. They also prey on starfishes and smaller gastropods, but sea urchins make up 80% of their diet. Unfortunately, although fishing tritons is prohibited by law, many areas are still hunted, resulting in the collapse of their underwater ecosystems. The presence of tritons in an area is a sign of healthy seabed, as these big gastropods control the urchin overpopulation, a sight that we now see in many coastal seabeds of Greece.
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A Voracious Grey Heron
. The heron is just looking for a calm spot to devour the rodent. Such a large prey requires, beyond great effort in carrying, special care in handling as its teeth can easily injure the bird. In this particular case the heron flew a few dozen metres, landed behind the reeds, and killed the vole with many sharp and powerful beak strikes. Although grey herons feed mainly on fish, they often attack other species such as rats, mice, amphibians, reptiles, small birds, even moles, which make up about 10% of their prey.
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