ALGARVE, Portugal

[Joakim B]

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

[Casalima]

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 

[Joakim B]

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.

All the best and my deepest apologies
Joakim

[cohan]

another great thread! thanks for the lovely images, fascinating plants...

[ranunculus]

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 ...   

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? 

[ranunculus]

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

[ranunculus]

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

[Carlo]

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...

[Joakim B]

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

[cohan]

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!

[ranunculus]

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

[ranunculus]

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

[Lvandelft]

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…

And don't forget your camera today when visiting Blackpool

[Gerdk]

Cliff, excellent pictures as usual.
Looking out for the next series…

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

[ranunculus]

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/