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BUTTERFLIES VALLEY

BUTTERFLIES VALLEY

BUTTERFLIES VALLEY

BUTTERFLIES
PAROS, 84400 THE ISLAND OF PAROS
Tel: 22840-91554 22840-91211
Fax: 22840-21282
e-Mail: kgravaris53@yahoo.gr
 
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          7 km west from Parikia, near the Monastery of "Christos sto Dasos" (or Agios Arsenios ), there is place well known as the Valley of the Butterflies or Petaloudes (from a Greek translation), an idyllic landscape of dense vegetation and abundant running water, a unique monument of Natural  beauty. The Valley is clearly demarcated from the main road that happens to pass above it. The area is a small park with paths and steps, so making your way around is rather easy. There is a small fee to enter, but it´s worth  for the shade and a quiet place to rest. The park is open from June to September from 9AM to 8PM.

         During the months of  June  to September, huge swarms of Panaxia quadripunctaria (poda) settle on the foliage. When they fly the sight is fantastic because the underside of the wings are a vivid red, which contrasts with the blackness of the rest of them. Visitors are amazed by this fairy tale land, where thousands of butterflies flutter all around, creating a breathtaking image.

 

         A must for any nature lovers. 

 

                   Something not to be missed.

 

                             You should visit the butterflies during summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

T H E      B U T T E R F L I E S

 

          The  scientific  name  of  our  butterflies  is  panaxia Quadripunctaria   of  the  family   arctiidae.  It differs from  other  butterflies   in  that  it  is  a  night  butterfly  or  Moth, but  together  with  other  species  of  butterflies  is  a  Member  of  the  lepidoptera  family.

 

          The  valley  in  which  you  find  yourself  has  always  been known   as « Petaloudes  »  as  it  is  in  Creek.  It  is  a  veritable oasis as  water  comes  into  the  valley  from  a natural spring all  the  year  around. This  continuous  water  has  resulted  in all   manner  of   trees, the  cypress trees  which    are   four hundred   years   old,  and  ancient  olive  trees,  as   well   as   a  great   many   kinds   of   fruit  trees ,  apricots,  pears,   plums, peaches,  oranges  and  others. throughout  the  valley  and  a firm  favorite  with   panaxia   is   the   ivy   or  which  you  will known   for   its  clarity  and  brilliance,  and  you  rarely  see  it to   better   advantage   than   slanting   down   through   the various  green  shades  of  the  valley.

 

          During  its  development  panaxia  passes  through  four clear  stages. Transformation. egg.  caterpillar. chrysalis. it  is  only  when  panaxia  is  fully  grown  that  it  finds  its  way  to  the  valley.

 

Why? Because  the  species  has  need  to  be  in a cool  environment  and  close  to  water  in  its  mating  season  which  is  from  early  June  until  mid  September.

How  do  they get  here? It  is  thought  by  a  sense  of  smell,  an olfactory  sense  which  guides  them  to  the  perfect  environment.  They come  at  night, slowly  to  begin  with  in  the  first  days  of June, and  the   numbers   dramatically   escalating   until   in august  panaxia  is  to  be  counted  in millions...when  there  are clouds  of  butterflies  a  beautiful  and  rare  sight, at  it  is quite  natural - a  natural  migration.  There  are  one  or  two  smaller  packets  of  panaxia  to  be  found  in  out  of  the  way places  of  the  island, but  these  places  seen  to  be  used  by panaxia  as  staging  posts  on  the  way  to the   big  valley.

 

          Visitors  frequently  ask  what  the  butterfly  eats. The surprising  answer  is  nothing!.. in its  mating  season. The  species only  eats  at  the  caterpillar  stage  of  its  development, and the   energy  produced  is  stored  for  its  mating  activity. This is  why  it  is  so important  not to  disturb  the  butterfly  while it  is  resting   during  the  daytime. ( Its  mating  existence  being  nocturnal )...as  making  the  species  fly  in  the  daytime  uses its  vital  energy  and  can  result  in it  dying  before  its  time.

 

So  please  be  very  quiet  as  you  wander  about  the  valley.

          It  is  interesting  to  note  that  panaxia  goes  higher  into the  trees   when   it   is   cooler   there,  and   places   itself   as  close  to  water  as  it  can.

 

          About mid  September  there  is  generally  a change  in  the weather,  a  foretaste  of  autumn.  this   is  the   signal  for  panaxia   to  leave  and  again  by  night  over  a  week  or  two  they  leave  in  order  to  lay  their  eggs, the  female  will  lay a  hundred  or  more. This  can  happen  anywhere  on  the  island, in  a  million  different  places, and  it  has  been  thought  that  they  return   by  a  sense  of  smell  or  instinct  to  the  place  where  they  started  life. and  so  the  cycle  starts  again... the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis... and  by  the  following  end  of May,  the new  generation  of  panaxia  is  already  restively seeking  the perfect  environment  for  its  mating  season.

Needless  to  say  the  generation  of  panaxia   you  are   looking now...die  off  in  late  September, after  laying  their  eggs.

 

          And  what  about  predators ?  well,  the  bats  at  twilight  are   certainly  predators,  so   are  the   lizards   and  in  August and  early  September  the  wasps  attack...seeking  out  the  weakest  panaxia  and  killing  them. But  sad  to  say, the  single biggest  danger  to  the  species   panaxia  quadripunctaria  is... man  himself.

By  clapping  his  hands, whistling, throwing stones,  and   disturbing   them    with    a   stick    man   poses  to  biggest  threat  to  this  natural  migration.

 

          So  please  on  your  visit  to  this lovely  place, be  careful to  look  after  the  environment...this  environment,  which  like  so  many  others  all  over  the  world  is  in  grave  danger

of  extinction.

 

           so....................

                       

                        d o n´ t         w h i s t l e

                        d o n´ t          c l a p      y o u r      h a n d s

                        d o n´ t          s h a k e   t h e    t r e e s

                        and   g e n e r a l y   d o   n o t   d i s t u r b 

                                    p a n a x i a     i n   a n y   w a y

                        p e a c e     a n d   q u i e t     i s    n e c e s s a r y

                        f o r   t h e   s u r v i v a l  o f  t h e   s p e c i  e s  

 

                                                T  h  a  n  k          y  o  u  .      

 

 

 

 

TOURISM » MUSEUMS - ARCHAIOLOGICAL SITES - AQUARIUMS


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