Nightjar is here to share the next chapter of her series.
Chapter 5 – East Hill: Flora
There is quite a lot of biodiversity on the top but what you see will of course depend on the time of the year you visit. Spring would be more interesting, and we would be looking for wild orchids, wild peonies (Paeonia broteri) and honeysuckles. In November we must content ourselves with the late crocus (Crocus serotinus)…
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… and the autumn buttercup (Ranunculus bullatus).
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Some plants have berries now, like the wild jasmine (Jasminum fruticans)…
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… or the hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna).
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And seedcases of the grey-leaved cistus (Cistus albidus) make me want to come back in Spring for their pink flowers with yellow centers.
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The next chapter will be the last here and we will just enjoy the views and see the hill we will explore next, on the other side of the village.
I love the hawthorn. It reminds me of fall times when the weather was not yet so awful and color did not disappear from the world.
I really like this. Which part of Portugal is this?
I love the autumn buttercup photo (framing, colour -- everything), and I’m fascinated by the seed pods in the last photo. Such wonderful natural geometry!
wereatheist,
It’s Central Portugal.
After I retire, Portugal is a top contender for countries I want to visit. These pictures just increase that desire.
Late Crocus? Hawthorn so full of berries? Wild Jasmine?
Yes, Portugal just moved up to top echelon of countries I want to experience. I have a bottle of Portuguese fresh pressed olive oil from early 2018, that is only 1/4 full, now. Exquisite oil, smooth, flavorful, from the Douro region of Portugal.
We have spring Crocus here, that grows through snow to flower, Hawthorn grows here as a “Windrow” shrub/tree,and not a Jasmine in the state.
Can’t hardly wait to go there!
Beautiful flowers, berries and seedcases.
I had to check again what is hawthorn. They are used here in hedges. It is orapihlaja (free translation: thorny rowan) in Finnish.