Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Carlo on March 10, 2009, 03:52:56 PM
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This is a new thread from the Crete discussion--
Cliff,
I've spent a fair amount of time in the Algarve and am interested in where you went. I HOPE you got to the fort at Sagres--some very rock garden worthy plants there!
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I also look forward to seeing photos. I've lived in Portugal for nearly 23 years, but the only time I went to the Algarve was some 25 years ago! I hope you got some of the lovely weather we are having at the moment.
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Hi Carlo, Casalima et al,
We were very fortunate to spend ten wonderful days in Portugal (from 27th February), predominantly in the western Algarve and experienced superb beaches, magnificent cliff-top walks, isolated mountain villages and a truly stupendous range of plants, especially orchids. We were joined by forum members John and Clare Dower (JohnnyD.) for seven of the ten days and travelled together to many of these special places.
Though the weather was mixed for the first week, with occasional showers and sunlight filtered by sometime cloudy skies, we managed to encounter fields, hillsides and a limestone Barrocal studded with beautiful flowers and embellished with literally tens of thousands of orchids.
The days warmed up towards the end of our visit (from 16 degrees to 23 degrees) and the strengthening sun opened an array of blooms that we hadn't dared to anticipate even after a great deal of research.
I managed to fill a number of memory cards and amassed 1500 images in the ten days, admittedly a good number of these were of landscapes and local interest, but the majority were of plants and orchids in particular.
We certainly visited Sagres and Cap de Sao Vicente, Carlo and, as you say, the flora of this area was truly wonderful but the winds were unbelievable and photography became more of a lottery than an art.
I certainly intend to post a whole raft of images on this thread and I will try to cover each of the aspects of the Algarve that we found so enchanting - but 1500 images will take time to process, please bear with me.
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Glad to hear the hols went well, Cliff. Looking forward to seeing your photos and learning what grows where and why!
M
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Well folks, I have just opened up the first memory card and these are some of the initial images to appear ... I would have preferred to keep them in chronological order but life is rarely like that ...!
You will get scenes interspersed with flowers, beaches pebbled with orchids (?) and cliff tops littered with anything else that ventured into my viewfinder.
Arisarum vulgare
Anemone in an Algarve garden (near Burgau)
Narcissus gaditanus
Fritillaria lusitanica Form 1
Fritillaria lusitanica Form 2
Anemone in an Algarve garden (near Burgau)
Anemone palmata
Diminutive orchid close-up
Ophrys speculum
Orchid to Euro size comparison
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What a shock!
I never saw such a colour at Fritillaria lusitanica as shown in its Form 2! The wee N. gaditanus is also a gem!
I am looking forward to the following pics.
Gerd
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Cliff,
I know you will continue with more photographs and am looking forward to them. The N. gaditanus is amazing in its small perfection.
Paddy
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Hi Cliff !
Good start of what I know will be another amazing series !
We're all looking forward to more and I guess you made us all fall in love with that truly lovely N. gaditanus - what a little gem that is !!
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Many thanks folks ... your kind comments are always much appreciated.
Anemone in Algarve garden (near Burgau)
Anemones in Algarve garden
Flower head close-up
Fritillaria lusitanica Form 2 Image 2
Tulipa australis (taken in very strong wind)
Tulipa australis close-up
Very tiny fritillaria - perhaps 7 ctms tall
Prasium majus?
Narcissus gaditanus close-up
Narcissus bulbocodium ssp. obesus - perhaps 4 ctms tall
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Last batch for today ... Sue will kill me if I don't get some work done! :D
The tremendous winds were ever present in the Algarve (especially on the cliff tops and the further west one went), so it's amazing that any images actually managed to make it to these pages).
Anemones in Algarve garden
Iris in an Algarve garden
Arisarum vulgare
Borage and euphorbia
Crevice dweller on cliff (?)
Ophrys sp.
Ophrys speculum - a nibbled flower
Orchis italica - some better forms later
Orchis morio?
Tulipa australis unfurling in the awakening sun
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Cliff nice set of plants
I like the orchids and hope soon to out on a search of these in nature.
Could the diminutive orchid in the first set be Opfrys bombyliflora?
It looks like that to me and it exist in Portugal according to my orchid book.
I will se if I can figure out the one in the latest set too.
Please correct me if I am wrong
Kind regards
Joakim
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Dear Cliff I think that the Ophrys sp is from the fusca group.
Either the fusca it self or Ophrys omegafeira dyris. Both exists in Portugal.
I wonder if not Your O. sphegodes O speculum is rather a O ciliata since the hair are so big?
I have been wrong before and will be that again so please make Your own opinion as well.
I presume it is OK to comment possible misnaming?
Edit I can not read so I read Your name wrongly. Sorry :-[.
O speculum is in my book written as a synonym for ciliata so we both can read books and come to the right conclusion.
I do not know if there is a difference now and which name is preferred.
Ophrys are very tricky and there are from 20-200 species depending on who one use as a reference.
I enjoyed the pictures a lot.
Interesting to see Algarve being a bit ahead of central Portugal regarding flowering.
Kind regards
Joakim
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Joakim, your input is very welcome and much appreciated. Apart from a short spell in Crete and, of course, the less complicated species in the Dolomites, these are the first stands of mixed (and massed) orchids that I have encountered in the wild and identification is a veritable minefield. I have any number of excellent orchid books but each venture into their bewitching pages makes one less, not more certain!
I am grateful for your gentle steering towards less obvious candidates and any further suggestions (from any members) as I continue to post will be similarly welcomed.
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Cliff I agree that the first times it generally gets a bit more difficult but after a while one can find something (in the books).
It is a bit like looking at the dots and then see a 3d cone after 30 minutes. That was popular some 10 years ago.
I use Field Guide to Orchids of Britain and Europe by Karl Peter Buttler.
Some of the pictures of Yours are smack on so I am certain about them but then the names may have changed and joined or rejoined or separated groups.
I generally look to find one that fits and then continue looking to see if there are even more that fits even better. The great thing with this book is that the countries are named so one need not to doubt if it exists or not in the country. This may also change but it gives a general picture.
I enjoy the pictures and hope to see some of them soon live. 8)
Kind regards
Joakim
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Joakim,
Not at all surprising that the Algarve is ahead of central Portugal in terms of flowering. There's a marked difference, for instance, between the weather in Lisboa and Almancil. I think the country has a far wider range of conditions than most people realize.
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You are certainly right Carlo and the differences are often in the night temperatures being lower the further north You go.
Then inland there is higher altitude places so there are differences for sure.
Ask Chloë in Ponte de Lima and she will even further behind.
Now all the country seems to have good weather so most will catch up soon I think.
Kind regards
Joakim
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Indeed, primroses, violets and gorse around here, from what I've seen. Though I haven't being going very far afield. Maybe next this weekend or next week I may have a little more time.
Gorgeous photos, Cliff ... of course ... I wouldn't expect any less ... :) :)
And lovely plants, too! Pity they are 640 km away from me :(
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Sorry for the confusion I caused. :-[ :-[
I saw that I read wrongly the name of Cliffs Ophrys and have now amended this in my previous post.
It seems as we came to the same conclusion but the books had different names for it.
Lovely plants and photos and hopefully I did not confuse You to much Cliff.
I did say I have been wrong and will be that again in this case it was lack of reading Your names correctly but the plants were identified correctly. 8)
All the best and my deepest apologies
Joakim
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another great thread! thanks for the lovely images, fascinating plants...
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Thanks once again folks.
A few more images for today ... I hope you will accept my apologies for not naming the individual orchids ... with 1500 images to sort it has already become a labour of love ... :D
Cliff top view
Ferraria crispa (naturalised in the field of a derelict farm)
Gulls on the cliff top
Nossa Senhora da Rocha
Nossa Senhora da Rocha 2
Ophrys sp.
Ophrys sp. 2
Orchis italica habitat
Orchis italica
Orchis italica close-up - Does it remind you of anyone? :D
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Batch Two for today ....
Algarve harbour
Boats in the harbour
Fishing pots
Narcissus in pools of water
Gull takes flight
Narcissus thriving in boggy conditions
Enormous stacks of cork bark
Cork bark awaiting processing
Cork remnants in a pile
For all you animal lovers
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Final batch for today ...
Colourful boats
Beautiful umbellifer
Cormorant
The most westerly point of Europe - and unbelievably windy
The lighthouse at the cape
At the windswept Cabo de Sao Vicente
Beautiful Anagallis arvensis ssp. foemina
Eye-level Anagallis
Anagallis close-up 1
Anagallis close-up 2
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Cliff,
Brings back beautiful memories of the countryside and coastline. I was always there much later (May, July, Aug, Sept/Oct) and so didn't see the same things in bloom...
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Since Cliff welcomes suggestions I will make mine on the orchids.
Todays ophrys seems to be Ophrys tenthredinifera both of them. They seems to be within the variation.
It is earlier than apifera and scolopax the other possible candidates and have smaller ears than scolopax and bigger lip than apifera so I think it is the one.
Please if You disagree then let us know.
Kind regards
Joakim
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Final batch for today ...
thanks for these---what a great flora in this area!
the anagallis is wonderful, and how clever of nature to plant the yellow flower right beside!
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Many thanks Cohan,
Another batch before we dash off to Blackpool AGS Show ... from the Algarve to Blackpool, what a transformation!!!!!
Antirrhinum habitat
Antirrhinum majus ssp. linkianum
Antirrhinum close-up
Astragalus massiliensis?
Astragalus habitat at Cabo de Sao Vicente
Dune dweller - possible Silene sp.?
Malva hispanica
Ophrys tenthredinifera in habitat
Ophrys tenthredinifera
Onobrychis? humilis
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Last few for today ...
Cushions at Cape Sao Vicente
Magnificent cushion - do NOT wear shorts or sandals!
Close-up
Lavenders abound at the Cape
Beautiful white Anemone palmata
Fritillaria lusitanica surviving extreme gale force winds
Fritillaria lusitanica - perhaps 10 cms tall - sheltered by the cushion plants
Close-up of the also very windswept ophrys
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Cliff, excellent pictures as usual.
I like your series so much because of the great diversity in subjects.
Your unknown Umbelliferae looks like Angelica sp?.
Looking out for the next series… :D :D
And don't forget your camera today when visiting Blackpool ;D
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Cliff, excellent pictures as usual.
Looking out for the next series… :D :D
From me the same !
+ this is the first pic of a white flowering Anemone palmata I ever noticed -
must be an extraordinary rare plant(?).
Gerd
Gerd
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Thanks Luit and Gerd,
Gerd - The white Anemone palmata was certainly not rare at the Cape ... it was as prevalent as the beautiful yellow form.
Also - please see http://www.flickr.com/photos/valter/3085929627/in/set-662568/
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Ciff, are you an outstanding photographer. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.
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Many thanks, Franz,
This is truly a compliment coming from an image taker of your calibre.
Many more photographs to follow when time and tide allow.
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Well, here we go again!
I did mention at the outset that I would have preferred my images to flow onto these pages in chronological order ... no such luck, I'm afraid! At least you can all experience some sunshine now as we enjoy the delights of a beautiful little fishing (and resort) village called Alvor that we visited on the penultimate day of our holiday.
Alvor view
Alvor street
Alvor image
Alvor scene
Alvor wall
Alvor cafe
Alvor fishing
Alvor river
Alvor riverside
Pedro and Marco on their boat
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Next batch from the Algarve ...
Oxalis and Anchusa
Anchusa and Oxalis
Anchusa azurea
Field of Oxalis pre-caprae
Identity of bug on Chrysanthemum coronarium please?
Cistus crispus
Cistus crispus close-up
Garden escapees
Cistus salvifolius
Gorgeous lichen
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Final batch for today ... I must concentrate on the East Lancashire Show for the next few days.
Beach idyll
Coastal garden
Coronilla valentina ssp. glauca
Cricket? Just twitched it's head, otherwise quite a close-up!
Convolvuls althaeoides
Looking up
Muscari neglectum
Narcissus close-up
Sue, John and Clare botanising
Super daisy - could it be an arctotheca?
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Cliff
Just been enjoying this thread super pictures and some lovely plants. Must have been a great holiday 8)
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O.K. - we are in between shows today, so we can return to the Algarve for another look around.
All these images were captured on a single day, but are not in chronological order (even if I could spell it)! :) Obviously not all of them are of plants, so I will call them; 'Visions of the Algarve' and just get on with it ...
Blossom time
Almond blossom
Bloom close-up
Conifer view
Beautiful cones
Awaiting a window frame - pattern of bricks in a newly constructed building
Arum leaves
Denuded of cork - this tree will be harvested again in seven years
Rustic scene
Moss on cork bark
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Next batch from the pompously titled; 'Visions of the Algarve' ...
Cistus ladanifer
Climber behind a garden wall
Copse
Overhanging stream
Close-up
Sweet little poppy only 10 ctms tall
Rural hillside nursery
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More 'Visions of the Algarve' from the 'Vision of Whitworth' ::) ::) ::) ::) ...
Cork forest daisy
Distant shot of a flamingo at a nature reserve
Eucalyptus in the cork forest - potential fire risk for the old established cork industry
Full plant
Close-up of the flower
Gladiolus close-up
Leaf on the water in a fountain
Lithodora prostrata close-up
Orchid full
Orchid close-up
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Final batch for today ...
Pretty euphorbia
Tiny flower - close-up
Reflection in pond
Rotting timber abstract
Rural fly past
Sue, John and Clare Dower
Typical village house
Sunlit alley
Zantedeschia bloom
Stock field for a local nursery
Many more to follow in the fullness of time ...
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Jeepers, Cliff,
I must have been asleep for the past while as I had missed these postings. Brilliant report and what was obviously a lovely holiday, sun, sand and lots and lots of flowers and, as Franz said, beautifully photographed as usual.
I've enjoyed it immensely. Many thanks. Paddy