A cypress trunk in the mountains  - 22nd July 2006

The forest above the plateau of Anopolis and on the way up to the White Mountains has some of the most amazing and ancient trees in Crete. Most impressive are the cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens horizontalis) which can be many centuries old.
A lot of these trees have been coppiced, sometimes over centuries and some trees have also died, leaving massive stumps. The bottom picture gives you an idea of the size!
The small spiky plants with the strange shape are oaks. This is kept small by the goats continuously nibbling at them.

You can click on the picture to enlarge.