The contrast of the dry and stony desert right next to the Atlantic Ocean fascinates me and there are patches of ground that sparkle white with the salt that has been left by the briny sea spray.
Just out of reach of the waves and wind there are plenty of Prickly Pears, clumps of the cactus-like Cardón and some other really interesting plants to be found like the strange succulent Cardoncillo, which grows in places on the side of the mountain.
With its distinctive fleshy grey-green stems and clusters of reddish-brown flowers followed by 2 long seed pods it really stands out from the crowd amongst the scrubland vegetation. It is in the Milkweed family, the plants that are the food of the caterpillar of the wonderful Monarch butterfly, although I don't think it eats this species.
Its cousin the Cornical can be seen twisting and rambling over clumps of other plants that grow there, especially the Cardón, and like the Cardoncillo it has unusual long seedpods, which point in opposite directions.
There are usually plenty of Red-winged Grasshoppers too and the first time I saw one of these was exciting because before I came to live here I had only seen them as pictures in a book. I never manage to get a decent photo of this type of grasshopper and to capture one on the wing is a near impossibility but I'm optimistic that one day I will.
Comments
BardofElyNov 1, 2012
MiraNov 1, 2012