Cyprus is an island that boasts of a rich animal and plant life. There are more than 1750 types of plants that grow on this island. You find a calm, Mediterranean climate here because Cyprus is situated on the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. This in turn is responsible for the diversity of species on the island.
You find a coast with large open bays along with precipitous cliffs and rocks on the coast of Cyprus. While there are many sandy and shingle beaches found here, on taking a walk around the country, you find that most of the island is fertile and hilly country. The summer in Cyprus lasts from May and June till the end of September. The summer comes after the colorful spring time where you find gold yellow and brown colors of the sun burned landscape of Cyprus.
Though you may find a few rivers with water in spring in Cyprus, don’t be surprised to find its waters dried up in the summer of Cyprus. You find beautiful yellow fields of corn in Cyprus, which is in sharp contrast to the blue sky Cyprus offers. To add some color to the landscape, you find blooms of pink and white oleander spotted here and there in Cyprus.
Autumn is heralded in with rainfalls around the end of September and the beginning of October. With this, you find that Cyprus seems to wake up to look lively with the varied blossoms and blooms of different flowers. The fields that were brown turn green with the rain while the trees turn a bright fresh green after the hot summer.
Come winter, and you find the deciduous trees of Cyprus lose their leaves, the sea becoming rough and the sky, cloudy. The splash of color in winter in Cyprus is provided with the yellow and orange of citrus fruits which are usually ready to pick by now. You may find some rains in the mountains, with snow covering the higher peaks to create a real winter dream for you to experience.
Looking at the fauna of Cyprus, the most famous wild animal is the Mouflflon which is a shy mountain sheep. It is usually found in an enclosure at Stavros tis Psokas found in the Paphos forest. The hilly landscape of Cyprus is the home for sheep and goats; while you find donkeys working ardently in the wine growing areas of Cyprus. In addition to all this, you find small animals like foxes, hares and squirrels in the forests of Cyprus.
You can watch rare creatures like chameleons and snakes taking a sunbath on a stone or crossing your path in the dry summer of Cyprus. You may also find turtles on the coast of the clear waters of Cyprus. Along with these turtles, there are about 260 kinds of fish here; with sponges, corals, mussels and sea anemones making the underwater reefs of Cyprus a delight for nature lovers.
Cyprus is a stopover for migrating birds to Africa. You can thus see many European winters here in the winters, because of the mild climate here. The other birds come here in spring for breeding, to stay on till summer. As more than 375 birds have been sighted in Cyprus, ornithologists from all over the world love visiting Cyprus in spring and autumn.
