Narcissus January- February 2009

[Lesley Cox]

Well, there are many places, but this one is in Toledo. Here another population in Madrid.

Oh my God Rafa!!

[Anthony Darby]

Rafa has created another kind of white fever. Where's that darkened room again? Wordsworth fails me!

[Oron Peri]

Rafa
Amazing photos, thank you for showing !!!
I haven't realized this species grows in such quantities, just beautiful.

[Gerry Webster]

Now THAT is my idea of heaven.

Paradise.

[art600]

Rafa

I spent today looking at drifts of snowdrops in Woods.  They were excellent, but pale into insignificance against the beauty of your N. cantabricus.  To see them in their natural habitat is wonderful.  Thank you for showing these

[Miriam]

What a beautiful sight!!
Stunning photos as usual

[johngennard]

I endorse all of the previous comments.Snowdrops are wonderful but N.cantabricus are something else when seen like this.Why is it that what we can't grow is nearly always better than that which we can?

[Gerry Webster]

Rafa - your photos just get more & more beautiful. I do hope these sites are protected - they are worthy of  world heritage status.

[Rafa]

Although some of these places are protected, private lands, and the species is in some provinces as well you can see other images like this....

[Anthony Darby]

Yes, these are the people who start at the bottom and go down in the world. They exist at the invertebrate end of the spectrum (with apologies to invertebrates), and only operate at reflex level. If a thought went through their heads it would die of loneliness. I know, as I attempt to teach them 5 days a week. They give the human race a bad name.

[art600]

Rafa

I had never associated Spain with the callous dumping of rubbish - sadly so frequent in Greece and Turkey

We have fly tipping locally, but never adjacent to such natural beauty.

So sad

[Sinchets]

On the theme of rubbish dumps has anyone ever visited the Monastery of Kaisariani, on the lower slopes of Mount Hymettus in the Athens suburbs? It has a stunning collection of Fritillaria graeca, Ophrys lutea, Ophrys fusca, Ophrys tenthredinifera, Orchis italica and Orchis quadripunctata.
Unfortunately you have to pick your way through used nappies, tampons etc.. We were horrified that the locals would dump stuff here, rather than put it out for their refuse collection. Well that was when we saw said refuse collection vehicles reversing in and tipping some fresh rubbish on top of orchids we had just photographed. Barlia robertiana, said to be here also, is usually easily found in flower because of its perfume- not here!!
To be fair this was 8 years, maybe they've cleaned their act up since then. Has anyone been back?

[tonyg]

Bravo Rafa - so many wonderful images!  The bitter taste of the last one does not end the wonder of the others.

[ian mcenery]

Rafa great pictures even the  last one shows how nature still thrives in spite of man

Many thanks for sharing

[ranunculus]

Just discovered this thread, Rafa ... magnificent images ... many thanks for posting.