Monkey orchid - Orchis simia Lam.- Cyprus

 See also - LIST OF CYPRUS ORCHIDS - ΛΙΣΤΑ ΟΡΧΙΔΕΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ

Orchis simia, commonly known as the monkey orchid, is a greyish pink to reddish species of the genus Orchis. It gets its common name from its lobed lip which mimics the general shape of a monkey's body.

The range of the species is central and southern Europe, including southern England, the Mediterranean, Russia, Asia Minor, Caucasus, northern Iraq, Iran to Turkmenistan and northern Africa where it occurs in grassland, garrigue, scrub and open woodland, chiefly on limestone soils. It is absent from the Balearic Islands, Corsica and Sardinia. On Cyprus the species can be categorized as threatened, and it became a protected species in the UK in 1975 under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act.. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 Photos (Gerasa) Γεράσα 7/4/2019 by George Konstantinou

Altitudinal range 300–600 mB

Flowering Period Mar–Apr

Orchis quadripunctata subsp. sezikiana (B. Baumann & H. Baumann) H. Baumann & R. Lorenz ≡Orchis sezikiana B. Baumann & H. Baumann - Cyprus

  See also - LIST OF CYPRUS ORCHIDS - ΛΙΣΤΑ ΟΡΧΙΔΕΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ

Photos (Gerasa) Γεράσα 7/4/2019 by George Konstantinou

Small-leaved helleborine - Epipactis microphylla.(Ehrh.) Sw. - Cyprus

 See also - LIST OF CYPRUS ORCHIDS - ΛΙΣΤΑ ΟΡΧΙΔΕΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ

Red Data Book category:  

Critically endangered (CR)

Epipactis microphylla, the small-leaved helleborine, is a species of orchid. It is native to much of Europe and to Southwest Asia as far east as Iran though noticeably absent from the British Isles and from Scandinavia. It has also been found in North Africa, in the Babor mountains in Little Kabylia, Algeria and Cyprus

Photos Troodos, Lagoudera 30/5/2020 by George Konstantinou

Bornmueller's Ophrys - Ophrys bornmuelleri M. Schulze subsp. Bornmuelleri = Ophrys aphrodite Devillers & Devillers-Tersch. - Cyprus

  See also - LIST OF CYPRUS ORCHIDS - ΛΙΣΤΑ ΟΡΧΙΔΕΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ

Near-endemic, also in Turkey (Anatolia)

Altitudinal range - 0–925 mF

Flowering Period - Feb–AprPhotos Agios Ilarionas  2/4/2023 by George Konstantinou

Photos Souni 25/3/2021 by George Konstantinou

Dense-flowered orchid - Neotinea maculata (Desf.) Stearn, 1974 - Cyprus

  See also - LIST OF CYPRUS ORCHIDS - ΛΙΣΤΑ ΟΡΧΙΔΕΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ

Neotinea maculata, the dense-flowered orchid, is an orchid native to Asia Minor and parts of Europe, Cyprus and North Africa.

The leaves are oblong, 5 cm in length, and form a basal rosette which develops from round underground nodules that are up to 6 cm in diameter. Stems supported emerge vertically from the rosette and are covered for a third of their length with a light green bract. The flowering period is from April to June, during which an inflorescence of small white to pink flowers are produced.

• Photos Akamas  25/3/2021 by George Konstantinou
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• Photos (Gerasa) Γεράσα 7/4/2019 by George Konstantinou
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Tropical tent-web spider - Cyrtophora citricola (Forskål, 1775) - Cyprus

 Cyrtophora citricola, also known as the tropical tent-web spider, is an orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae. It is found in Asia, Africa, Australia, Costa Rica, Hispaniola, Colombia, Cyprus and Southern Europe and in 2000, it was discovered in Florida. C. citricola differs from many of its close relatives due its ability to live in a wide variety of environments. In North America and South America, the spider has caused extensive damage to agricultural operations.

C. citricola is in the orb web spider family, but its orb webs are considered atypical. They have a thick silk strand barrier above the orb and a thinner barrier below the orb. This gives the webs a horizontal mesh-like appearance. The spider has developed distinct and specific prey-capturing techniques using its unconventional webs. The prey flies into the upper mesh layer of the web and is deflected into the orb web. The spider then collects and stores the prey in its web. The difference in C. citricola's web silk stems from physiological variations in its spinning apparatuses, as compared to other closely related species. Its webs are non-adhesive and do not require daily respinning.

This spider is one of the few species to exhibit a variable level of sociality. C. citricola can be seen in colonies, which may have arisen due to reduced predation. Within these colonies, each spider has its own web that is linked to other spiders through communal webbing. The spider webs are often built in large matrices next to one another and can span entire trees. The spider usually peacefully coexists with other spiders in the colony. However, at times the spider may have to ward off other spiders in the colony that may try and claim its web.

C. citricola is nocturnal, only performing necessary tasks during the day. During the day, it remains idle and tries to stay out of sight from predators. Most of its foraging and prey capture happen at night.

C. citricola's color and size can vary greatly. Many spiders sport a black and white pattern while others are brown. Males often appear black. Male and female spiders have a sexual dimorphism. The body length in females normally reaches 10 millimetres (0.39 in), while males are only 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Agios Sozomenos 19/11/2022 by George Konstantinou

Pair of Woodchat shrike bringing food to the nest with 6 chicks - Paralimni 6/6/2023 - Cyprus

Pair of Blackbird (Turdus merula) bringing food to the nest with 4 chicks Pedoulas 8/6/2023 – Cyprus