The Mediterranean autumn (September to November) is characterized by high temperatures at the end of a long drought period starting in May or lune (Anonymous 1957).
The majority of species flowering in autumn are geophytes with hysteranthous leaves
(Dafni & al. 1981 a-b). The Mediterranean winter (December to February) is characterized by spells of rain (rarely haiI or snow) accompanied by relatively low temperatures
(Anonymous 1957). Geophytes are prominent among plants flowering in this season; the
first flowering annual::; are rarely seen before December or January (Shmida & Dafni
1989). Relatively few insects, main1y solitary bees, are active – in species as well as in
numbers (Herrera 1982; Shmida & Dukas 1990; Dafni & O ‘Toole 1994; Petanidou, perso
comm.). Generally, in any single habitat only 2-4 species of solitary bees and 1-3 species of Syrphidae are present (Shmida & Dafni 1989), as compared with 100-200 species
of solitary bees and 5-30 species of hover flies at the peak of the spring flowering season
(O’Toole, perso comm.).
