Butterflies Valley Paros

The Paros island is a real treasure trove of secrets and fairytale places and in this regard today we want to introduce you to the beautiful   Butterflies valley.

A unique natural area with a habitat rich in vegetation with wild olive trees, plane fruit trees full of wild ivy and ancient cypresses where, a rare biotype of moths the Panaxia Quadripunctaria also called Jersey Tiger, for a few months of the year precisely from May at the end of July and then disappear in August and reappear in September, they gather in a huge swarm.

We are in the Kalapetra region about five kilometers southwest of Parikia the capital and Pounda near the Christos Dasous monastery. Hidden at the foot of a hill just below a natural well is the butterflies valley (Pentaude in Greek) an idyllic area of dense vegetation with a generous amount of running water, a small park in stark contrast to most of the territory that instead it is dry and with the typical colors of the earth.

Thousands of brown-black moths with yellow tips on the ends and bright red wings rest on the trunks of trees, camouflaging themselves perfectly to protect themselves from natural predators so much that they are sometimes unable to recognize them but that when they rise in flight they show themselves in their total beauty.

The reason why they disappear in the month of August is simply linked to the reproductive period when the females go in search of a suitable place to proliferate, lay their eggs and then finish their life cycle.The caterpillars hatch from eggs in October and then turn into butterflies in May, return to the valley and continue the circle of rebirth.

Certainly not comparable to the butterfly valley of Rhodes in the Dodecanese archipelago where the same species gathers in colonies with millions of specimens, but which in any case gives the island of Paros this particularity because it must be emphasized that this species is present in very few parts of the world, in Greece only on the islands of Rhodes and Paros and then in two areas of Turkey and in Great Britain.

It should always be remembered that these animals are mainly nocturnal and that therefore they are at rest during the day and in this regard it is recommended when going to visit the valley to disturb them as little as possible. It is very important to leave them quiet during the daytime because this type of moth does not feed during its adult period, only when they are in the young phase they can eat, then they live on income with the accumulated reserves, consequently the more they 'fly more' energy. they consume with the danger of not being able to complete their life cycle at the end of August.

The site is open every day from 9.00 in the morning until 19.30 and the cost is € 3 per person. 

The ideal is to have your own vehicle, whether scooter or car, follow the road signs from Parikia south-west towards Petaludes. The alternative are guided tours organized by the various agencies on the island.

A true fairytale place for nature lovers and for the little ones, a great opportunity for a different day and to be included in the things to see in Paros.