North Portugal, March 2007

[Casalima]

This morning, I finally took myself up into the hills just behind my town to look for a daffodil or two.
The first photo shows the view from where Romulea are growing. The very faint whitish line in the top centre of the hills is Viana do Castelo, on the coast. You can see the dreaded asphodels that grow everywhere.
Narcissus asturiensis (I presume, please correct me if I am wrong!)
Romulea bulbocodium (I presume again - I'm learning, I hope!)
There were also these leaves growing on the same site - can anybody identify the plant?
The view inland.
On the way down I took a different road where I hoped there would be Narcissus triandrus and here they are.

Back in town I went to the builders merchants to see whether they had some fine granite gravel for pots - as I only wanted a bucket-full, they gave the gravel for free and the bucket too! 

Chloë

[Maggi Young]

Chloë, many thanks for this little trip! Narcissus triandrus is a great favourite of mine and I am so pleased to see it growing happily in the wild.

Not sure what your odd leaves are... maybe a hyacinth-ish thing? ... She said, vaguely!
Congratulations on finding such a friendly and helpful builders' merchant... he'll get more business from a satisfied customer, won't he?

[Casalima]

Not sure what your odd leaves are... maybe a hyacinth-ish thing? ... She said, vaguely!

I've been looking through my books - maybe a wild tulip? They look rather like the leaves in the photograph of "Tulipa australis" in Polunin's Flower of South West Europe.

Chloë
who has loads of work to do and shouldn't be so pleasantly distracted ...

[Maggi Young]

maybe a wild tulip?

That thought struck me, too, but, in my ignorance, I wasn't sure which tulips might grow in the area!
Geography...never my strong point!

who has loads of work to do

Yes, I know, I am beset  here with domestic chores but I'm doing a great job of ignoring them. Then there is the Group Newsletter...  sigh!

[Lesley Cox]

These are nice, a sort of Portugese version of Field trips in New Zealand.

Chloe, now that you have a new picture in your atavar, I've forgotten already what the old one was. Was it the dog? In which case nice dog but nicer you.

[Maggi Young]

Lesley, it is Corrinne from the USA who has the Dobermann in her avatar! Do you know, I can't recall what Chloë used to have, either, but I do like the new version!

[Casalima]

These are nice, a sort of Portugese version of Field trips in New Zealand.

Chloe, now that you have a new picture in your atavar, I've forgotten already what the old one was. Was it the dog? In which case nice dog but nicer you.

No dog! It was a lovely Aquilegia that grows wild on my land.
This new photo was actually taken on the top of the hill with the vaguely identifiable track leading to its summit in my first picture in this post. The hilltop has a chapel (surprise, surprise) and on the other side overlooks the area of my land.

Chloë

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Chloe and Maggi. I remember now. It was Corinne's dog which I thought was a kangaroo! I'm really losing it I think.

[Paddy Tobin]

Chloe,

Lovely photographs. I especially liked to see N. triandrus. Beautiful.

Paddy

[Joakim B]

Nice pictures!
Now I know what happens if/ when I get to the wild here in Portugal.
I hope to do that soon and give something from central Portugal:)
Joakim