ALGARVE, Portugal

[Carlo]

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!

[Casalima]

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.

[ranunculus]

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.  

[Maggi Young]

Glad to hear the hols went well, Cliff.  Looking forward to seeing your photos and learning what grows where and why!
 M

[ranunculus]

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

[Gerdk]

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

[Paddy Tobin]

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

[Luc Gilgemyn]

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 !!

[ranunculus]

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

[ranunculus]

Last batch for today ... Sue will kill me if I don't get some work done! 

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

[Joakim B]

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

[Joakim B]

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

[ranunculus]

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.

[Joakim B]

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.
Kind regards
Joakim

[Carlo]

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.