Category: Nature

The Red Tower and the lovely road to nowhere

2/11/2014

The view from the road stretches to Gozo's Ta Cenc cliffs

In the far north of Malta and just off the main road to the Gozo ferry terminal, a minor road runs uphill to meet one of the most ‘colourful’ of the Knight’s fortified towers. St. Agatha’s Tower was built in 1647-8 to guard the short stretch of sea to Gozo, aided by St. Mary’s Tower on Comino. At some point in its life it was given a red coat of paint – no one seems to know exactly when or why – but this has inadvertently lent it its more familiar name – the Red Tower. The tower is a square, robust one and when in use in centuries gone by it was normally manned by four soldiers, though it could accommodate a garrison of up to fifty in times of trouble. Last used during World War II as a glorified machine gun post, the tower had fallen into a sad state of disrepair by the end of the twentieth century. Luckily the NGO Din l-Art Helwa, the National Trust, took over its massive restoration and finally opened it to the public.

The Red Tower stands on high ground on the Marfa Ridge and probably its biggest draw is the open views from its rooftop. But once inside there is also a wealth of information on the structure itself, its history and its eventual restoration. Other information boards concentrate on the area itself, its topography, fauna and flora. The small tower shop stocks thyme honey from the area.

St. Agatha's Tower - more familiarly known as the Red Tower

Beyond the Red Tower, the narrow road continues to the edge of the Qammieh peninsula. It’s basically a dead end road but one which is a pleasure to walk and it’s not a longish one either – just over a mile in length. This short stretch of road is one of the most scenic on the island, bordered as it is by a rich garigue flora during the winter and spring months. There is an abundance of thyme and other aromatic herbs and in spring this area is one of the best for orchids, of which Malta has around a dozen species. There are understandably few trees on this windswept plateau but there are small copses of carob and pine in the more sheltered areas.

This road to nowhere opens up some spectacular views on the way. Starting from the Red Tower there are good sweeping views over Ghadira Bay and the nature reserve run by Birdlife Malta which backs the bay. Further on the views become more rugged – to the south there are wide vistas over the cliffs of the Majjistral Park while to the north the scene stretches to Comino and further beyond to Gozo and the magnificent white ‘wall’ of the Ta Cenc cliffs. The road ends somewhat ignominiously at a battered group of low buildings which once formed a radar station. Today most of the buildings are in ruin.

The view in spring

The view over the cliffs from this spot – practically Malta’s northern land’s end – is of a massive boulder scree which tumbles to the sea and is the result of the erosion of the seemingly mighty cliffs. Though the road stops here one can make his way along the cliff top to Paradise Bay, which can easily be reached in about a half hour. Some 400 metres to the north of the ‘road to nowhere’ there is another tiny road which runs parallel to it and can deliver you back to the Red Tower via a different, and equally scenic, route.

Land's End

The above article was originally published in the November 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here

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Comino – Go early and beat the crowds

4/5/2014

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The small island of Comino sandwiched between the larger islands of Malta and Gozo starts getting a steady influx of visitors from June onwards, when the bathing season is in full swing and the locals start to flock there on day trips. Comino’s amenities are limited – there is just one hotel, practically no shops and no cars either. This is quite understandable as its permanent population consists of just three people.

So why go there at all one may ask. Well as far as the Maltese Islands are concerned it is definitely the ultimate get-away-from-it-all destination and a day spent there is like no other. In May its two main beaches, Santa Maria Bay and the Blue Lagoon, are still almost empty of people and can be enjoyed ...erm… as they should be – peacefully!

The Blue Lagoon with its underlying bed of white sands is probably the most enticing stretch of sea in the entire Maltese archipelago – its translucent waters are an invitation to dive in even to the most determined landlubber. Santa Maria Bay is not to be sniffed at either, not least because of its line of tamarisk trees bordering the sea which offers priceless shade. The latter bay can be almost deserted in late spring and the water is crystal clear here as well.

What of the determined landlubber who will still resist the call of the sea? Well there is still enough to see to easily fill a day. On Comino’s highest ground stands the Santa Maria Tower – an imposing fortress built by the Knights at a time when Comino was frequently a convenient hideout for corsairs with dubious intents. In more recent times the tower has often featured in films – most notably in The Count of Monte Cristo where it doubled for the notorious fortress-prison of the Château d'If. As a rule of thumb, if the flag is flying from the tower that means it’s also open to visitors.

Next to the tower is a ramshackle building, originally an army barracks and now largely deserted except for a few rooms which make up the home of the remaining inhabitants. It’s a cool atmospheric place with a couple of delightful leafy lanes…and you might even get a glimpse of one of the three lone islanders – true modern day castaways surviving on what is essentially a bare rock.

Over on the south side of the island there is a small Knights’ Battery and close to Santa Maria Bay there is a lovely chapel still used by the islanders for Sunday mass – with a priest dutifully making the crossing from Gozo every week.

But really the landlubber’s Comino is a place to get lost in for the day and savour its remoteness; the arid landscape punctuated by the low thyme bushes which at this time of year take on their purple hue, the cliff scenery and the open water vistas across the channels separating it from its larger neighbours …and the blissful quiet.

There are daily ferry crossings to Comino from both Cirkewwa in Malta as well as Mgarr Harbour in Gozo. Although there are no shops on Comino the hotel bar and restaurant are open to non-residents and there are usually a couple of fast food kiosks at the Blue Lagoon.

Comino's rugged eastern cliffs

The above article was originally published in the May 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here

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Photo Blog - Rambling around Bidnija

16/1/2014

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Sunny, warm days in January are priceless really. Having met my deadlines for this week, and having put in three days' work at home it was time for some fresh air, some seemingly aimless wandering; but really this is a great way to recharge the batteries before continuing on some more work, currently a drawing commission and some writing. Needless to say my camera is my ever-present companion on these long walks - in this case a three hour walk exploring lanes and garigue around Bidnija. Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed the walking...

A quiet lane in Bidnija - it's surprising that after more than fifty years of living here I can still find the odd previously undiscovered lane here and there.

The first brown orchids are out. I simply love the intricate structure of orchids.

Another previously undiscovered track leads me to some great views over Wied Qannotta.

View from atop il-Qolla towards Gebel Ghawzara.

The ideal dream home complete with private chapel in Wied Qannotta.

A seemingly endless field of artichokes...

A farmer and his dog on their way to the fields.

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The Slow Road to Dwejra

3/1/2014

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Dwejra Bay and Fungus Rock - the view is simply awesome

Most visitors to Gozo will probably include a short trip to Dwejra - the site so well known for its unique dramatic seascapes and geological features which include the famous Azure Window, Fungus Rock and the so called Inland Sea. Chances are you will get little of the feel of this unique site on a stop-and-go tour of the island, as the area really cries out for better appreciation.

Gozo by its very nature demands a slower way to do things and an alternate way to visit Dwejra is actually to walk there from the island's capital Victoria. It's a relatively easy five kilometer trek and it is a rewarding alternative. It can be done in two hours - but make that three for stops, diversions and gawping in general!

The way out of Victoria is easy enough - just follow the signposts to Kercem which lies just ten minutes walking away. Kercem itself is a miniscule village with one quiet main street winding its way in and out of the village again. There are a few ancient stone balconies of note on some old houses but little else of much interest apart from the quaintness of it all.

Once out of the village follow the signposts to Ghadira ta San Raflu. It's a quiet road bordered by fields and soon enough it follows close to the cliffs - giving breathtaking views across the water. In thirty minutes or so you should arrive at the Ghadira itself - a small pond which attracts waterfowl and other fauna. Until recently the pond supported a thriving population of the local endemic painted frog Discoglossus pictus but insensitive individuals have introduced the alien Bedriaga frog which has all but taken over the Ghadira. Nonetheless being here during the frogs' mating season is quite an experience - their mating calls are incredibly loud and create an impressive ruckus in this otherwise silent place.

The road divides into two at the pond - take the narrow trek on the left. The trek, initially smoothly cemented over, soon becomes a dust road and eventually just a narrow cycle path skirting the cliffs. The views here are breathtaking - with the small tower at the head of Xlendi Bay looking somewhat lonely amid the wide vista of cliffs. The path eventually leads to an open space with a small rock- hewn chamber and a couple of wells dug in front of it. This is in fact an ancient Punic sanctuary (picture right) about which very little is known. Not much remains of course but the site is certainly one of Gozo's most atmospheric, perched as it is on an impressively high cliff and commanding the best views towards Dwejra and the Fungus Rock. Take time out to gawp.

Retrace your steps from the site and go uphill for a minute or two until you can see the path towards Dwejra - there are various well trodden paths in fact. The observant rambler will note a proliferation of curious greyish-leaved plants occurring from this point onwards. This is none other than the Maltese Everlasting (Helichrysum melitense) an extremely rare endemic plant confined to just this small corner of Gozo and nowhere else worldwide. It produces yellow flowers between April and late May.

Soon one arrives at the curved Dwejra Bay with the Fungus Rock standing majestically at its entrance. Again the views here are impressive. Fungus Rock itself is a protected site - being the only known place where the so called Malta Fungus- a strange mushroom-like plant - grows. In the past it was believed to have potent medicinal powers and the Knights of St.John provided round the clock guard to deter locals from collecting this supposed elixir. Past the curve of the bay, head for the Dwejra Tower and you are practically in Dwejra now. Take time to enjoy this great site having tasted its splendor unfolding little by little.

There is an hourly bus back to Victoria from Dwejra if, quite understandably, you find the hilly road back a bit daunting.

On the way to the Punic shrine...the view towards Xlendi

The above article was originally published in the January 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here.

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Beyond the Azure Window – Getting lost in Gozo

2/12/2013

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Nearly every visitor to Gozo makes the obligatory whistle-stop tour to Dwejra and its photogenic Azure window. This is quite understandable – Dwejra is a World Heritage site with its unique fossil studded rock formations, the Fungus Rock and the steep sided Dwejra Bay sheltering behind it, plus the so called Inland Sea – a popular shingle beach permanently protected from rough sea by the sheer cliff wall virtually cutting it off from the deep blue Mediterranean beyond. Dwejra is also the most popular dive site in the Maltese Islands and considered by most as a world class site.

Few people give the area the time it deserves and fewer still wander beyond the rock- hewn window. But if you have the time it is well worth it. You’ll need plenty of that, four hours by my reckoning if you want to reach the next town walking mostly gentle gradients; but it’s an awesome, remote trek across a part of Gozo which is uncharacteristically arid and immensely uplifting to the senses.

Leave the car park and walk up to and beyond the chapel overlooking the Inland Sea. The chapel itself is quite unremarkable so a miss is quite in order. The top of the cliffs give one a beautiful view of the inland sea with its boathouses and cafes. Cross over to the opposite cliffside (the one overlooking the sea) and basically you can now follow the coastline. The observant rambler will probably notice a profusion of grey-leaved plants. This is the Maltese Everlasting, (Helichrysum melitense) a very rare endemic plant found only in this corner of Gozo and nowhere else worldwide. Needless to say this is a legally protected species and should not in any way be damaged. The plant produces a golden yellow flower head between April and June.

There are two quarries immediately after you leave Dwejra but once past these there are hardly any man-made intrusions except for the odd hunting hide – some tottering precariously on the cliff’s edge. The coast follows a wide curve allowing you to view the Azure window from a completely new angle. This stretch is an important bird area – it is estimated that it supports some 500 pairs of Cory’s Shearwaters and between 30 and 50 pairs of Yelkouan Shearwaters. The Yelkouan is endemic to the Mediterranean basin and is a globally threatened species with an estimated population of between 15 and 30 thousand pairs worldwide – Malta has about 1,500 pairs.

In an hour or so you should reach San Dimitri point – the Maltese Islands’ most westerly point. From here the walking is in an easterly direction and one soon comes across Wied ir-Raheb – a deep cleft in the cliffs that falls dramatically to the sea below. Walk a little way inland to go round this elevated river valley to follow the coast again on the valley’s eastern side. The cliffs here are high and mighty coralline ones but soon give way to a gentler, smoother cream colored limestone plateau. Look out for a particularly quaint rock formation – a mushroom shaped one created by a cap of the harder coralline stone over a stump of the more easily eroded globigerina limestone.

The next river valley you will come across is Wied il-Mielah. There is a natural arch where this valley meets the sea…not as well known and certainly not as celebrated as the Dwejra one but equally dramatic nonetheless. Steps lead down to sea level for a better view.

Beyond Wied il-Mielah the limestone plateau continues for another kilometer or so until the cliffs are broken again by the beautiful Wied il-Ghasri, a fjord-like drowned river valley with its own miniscule pebble beach wedged between the high cliffs. Rock-cut stairs lead to the beach and the detour is well worth it as this is one of Gozo’s seriously beautiful spots.

Moving on from Wied il-Ghasri the limestone plateau continues and the gradient is gently downhill. This part of the coast has the largest stretch of salt pens in the islands, still worked and harvested by hand to this day. There is a cute hole-in-the-wall salt shop if you want to buy some of the stuff. You will soon reach Xwejni Bay – another popular summer bathing spot, with a curious conical clay form at its eastern end.

Between Xwejni and the next bay (Qbajjar) is a newly restored Knights’ redoubt.

Beyond Qbajjar Bay there is a lovely north facing promenade and once past that you are now in Marsalforn proper. Marsalforn is Gozo’s most important resort town, pretty crowded in summer but blissfully quiet in the winter months. You will be lucky to find a couple of bars open on the front, as after this longish route you will definitely cherish a good local beer and perhaps a hobza biz-zejt to go with it…

Both start and end points of this walk are served with hourly bus services from Victoria so having your own car is not an issue, the bus is in fact the better alternative since this is not a circular route.

This article was first published in the December 2013 edition of Il-Bizzilla - the Air Malta inflight magazine

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Walking the Line

1/11/2013

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When Britain took control of Malta in 1800 the island was already an impressively defended place. From the earliest times Bronze Age settlers had chosen easily defended hilltops in which to settle and enhanced them with strong defensive walls; the Romans constructed a large defended town in the island’s center and built curious round towers in the countryside, the Arabs fortified a smaller Mdina.

And then of course the Knights of St. John came here in 1530 – still licking their wounds from a resounding defeat which resulted in the forced abandonment of their previous island home in Rhodes. Immediately after the very testing Great Siege of 1565 they set about throwing up defences everywhere…massively walled cities complete with dry moats, coastal forts, watch towers and entrenchments. These assured that the dreaded Ottomans would never mount another serious attack to take over the islands. The defences were indeed impregnable: so much so that when the Knights meekly surrendered the Islands to Napoleon some two hundred and fifty years later - and the islanders in turn rebelled against the latter conquerors - the French managed to hold on inside Valletta’s thick walls for more than a year, and then it was only the total blockade of the city by the British that ultimately forced the French capitulation.
The British continued in the steps of all previous occupiers. They built a series of low profile, inconspicuous coastal forts more adapted to the warfare technology of the time. And after being here for nearly a century they were still jittery about the north coast’s vulnerability to invading forces and so they came up with an altogether fantastic and pretentious project...
The concept of the Victoria Lines was a great defensive wall practically dividing the island between the more populated and well defended south, and the sparsely inhabited and less crucial (to British interests) north. The wall was planned to follow a natural geographical barrier which cuts across the island, running roughly from Madliena in the east through to Kuncizzjoni at its western end – a total of approximately twelve kilometers. Construction started in the early 1870’s and the works were only completed in 1897 – the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

At each end of the wall – Pembroke and Kuncizzjoni – barracks were constructed, and the wall itself includes massive forts in strategic places; Fort Madliena, Fort Mosta and Fort Bingemma – each one guarding vulnerable locations – the first the eastern end of the wall where the terrain is flat, while the latter two guard areas where the natural cliff barrier is breached by an easily accessible valley.

The project took so long to build that by 1900, a mere three years after completion, steady advances in warfare technology revealed that the Victoria Lines were of dubious defensive value and by 1907 the whole defensive system was practically abandoned.

It is not easy to walk the line in its completeness. There are parts where time has taken its toll and it is difficult to trace out the wall. In other places modern roads and construction have wiped out or made the wall traces all but easy on the eye.

One notable exception is the stretch of the wall from Bingemma to Falka Gap - the part known as the Dwejra Lines. Here one can get a good feel of the wall and its clever meandering along steep cliffsides. Setting off from near the small chapel at Bingemma, you can start with a small diversion to the valley bed beneath –across which rises Malta’s largest rock-cut complex of tombs – a collection of more than 30 hypogea honeycombing the hillside. Opinion varies whether this site is of Phoenician or Roman origin but at any rate it’s worth exploring this ancient burial ground.

Backtrack up to the chapel, and a little way uphill and to your left (near a sizeable info board) there is a small path that will take you across the massive wall that crosses the valley. Once across, turn right and follow the line along some of its steeper edges – there are impressive views over the countryside below for the two kilometers or so of this part of the wall with the picturesque village of Mgarr with its oval dome featuring prominently over the surroundings. You can take time to explore bits and pieces of the wall itself; the ditch, gun emplacements and ancillary structures run along the length of the wall.

Once at the Falka end of the Dwejra lines, make your way back along the country road that runs more or less parallel and at some distance to the wall, and which takes you back to Bingemma. This road overlooks the Qlejgha Valley, more popularly known as Chadwick Lakes, so named after the engineer who constructed the massive water catchments in this important and flood prone valley. It is a quiet country road with beautiful vistas over to Mtarfa ridge and Mdina beyond, dotted with typical farmhouses and the odd country villa. The whole walk is less than five kilometers long and the gradients and terrain are mostly easy. Come any time during the week to enjoy the silence and solitude but be warned that all of this area is a favourite playground for the locals on any Sunday in the cooler months – which is not too bad an idea if you want to mingle… or just smell the barbecued sausages!

This article was first published in the November 2013 edition of Il-Bizzilla -
the Air Malta inflight magazine

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Photo Blog - Early Morning Light

5/9/2013

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I love long country walks but the summer puts me almost totally in aestivation mode as far as this activity is concerned. But on the rare days when I get up early it's off on a bus up to Rabat or Dingli and then making my way home on foot through the dry summer landscape. Granted - the dry drab Maltese landscape can be somewhat dull in the summer but the early morning still has its magic as these pictures testify.

Wied il-Qlejgha (aka Chadwick Lakes) captured in a selective color mode.

Lone farmhouse in Wied il-Qlejgha with rising mists

Dwejra Lines - early morning mist over the valley below.

Dwejra Lines road

Lonesome pine - Dwejra Lines

Verdala Palace floating in the mist

Magical misty tour...

Girgenti valley looking crisp and lush after the first rainfall

And it's off to work for this early rising farmer...

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Lapsi - Rocks of Ages

5/5/2013

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With a population density of nearly 1300 per square kilometer – the highest in the EU and one of the highest worldwide – getting far from the madding crowd may seem like an impossible ask for the visitor here. But not quite… The Maltese are officially (and regrettably) the least active nation in Europe and most people will take to their car for the smallest of errands. Not terribly good for the Maltese waistline but convenient if you plan to see a slice of a different, truly unspoilt Malta in some splendid solitude.

The coastline to the east of Ghar Lapsi is one such haven. If you are not driving, getting here is not without a little nastiness. On the way down there is a huge dusty quarry which isn’t quite the best introduction to this area, but once past this unsightly behemoth the road winds down with open sea and country views. Ghar Lapsi itself is a popular bathing spot in summer – a rare accessible break in the otherwise mighty cliffs that girdle most of the southern coast of the Island. There’s a small cluster of buildings around the two coves of Lapsi – a couple of restaurants, one row of small summer residences, a police station, and right down by the sea a few boathouses, some of which are hewn from the live rock. And of course, a scattering of small boats to complete the picture.

Head for the car park on the edge of the built up area. You will readily notice the huge signs warning you not to stray beyond the car park - no doubt put up by a well meaning but aesthetically blind representative of some authority or other. The signs were only erected after a recent rock fall practically made a good part of the bathing area below all but inaccessible. Politely ignore the sign but use common sense nevertheless - always tread a good three to four meters from the cliff edge.

There is a well trodden path here which is easy to make out in most places. You will be immediately struck by the high cliff to your left, an awesome mass of brownish rock with a few caves high up on the slope. This is a popular rock climbing site – but since this activity was only introduced here recently and is only practiced by a hardcore few, crowds of rock huggers will not be a problem.

A short uphill trudge will get you past the first inlet and then the path continues downhill again following the coast. This is a beautifully majestic area with cliffs and open sea views and, in the distance, the small uninhabited islet of Filfla. This serene picture makes it hard to imagine the (literally) earth shattering events occurring here a few million years back…

According to geologists, an event which must have been cataclysmic in proportion resulted in Filfla bidding farewell to Malta and a channel five kilometers wide opening up where the land collapsed into the sea. There is evidence of this too. The cliffs next to the sea here are made up of Upper Coralline Limestone – a rock stratum that naturally occurs three layers above the Lower Coralline Limestone – but the upper cliffs here are composed of the Lower Coralline! A weird inversion of the order of things at best; known in geological circles as the Maghlaq Fault. Really - you wouldn’t want to be here when it happened.

There is more for the observant eye here. Soon you cross the dry valley bed of Wied il-Maghlaq where the seasonal water course is unmistakably marked by a line of wild reeds. Where the valley bed meets the sea there is a layer of what appears to be brownish soil. In reality this is a stratum of Quaternary deposits left here from what must have once been a fast flowing stream or river… the fascinating detritus and rubbish of millions of years back; loose pebbles, mud, plant and animal remains - all coagulated into concrete hard sediment.

After the valley bed some gentle climbing is again called for and past the next inlet there is a five tongued promontory aptly called L-Ilsna (The Tongues) in Maltese. There are more deposits here and a small sea arch as well. Far above you is the first sign of civilization, a white tent-like structure. This is the canopy that now covers Mnajdra Temple from the elements and you should take this as your cue to start climbing to reach the upper cliff. Aim for a spot to the immediate right of the canopy where the climb is easiest and there is a natural opening in the cliff face.

Once you reach Mnajdra you might want to wander and have a closer look at the tower which is visible at some distance all along this walk. The Hamrija Tower, constructed in 1659 and recently restored, is one of a series built to the order of Grand Master De Redin. On the way to the tower there is a memorial stone commemorating Walter Norris Congreve who served as the colonial governor of Malta from 1924 to 1927. At his request he was buried at sea in the channel which separates Filfla from the mainland.

After this detour make your way to the road via Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples.

This walk takes about two hours to complete but you will probably find you want to wander a bit longer than that. Always check the weather before setting out, wear light clothing and sensible, comfortable footwear.

This article was first published in the May 2013 edition of Il-Bizzilla - the Air Malta inflight magazine

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A riot of flowers – Spring comes to the Garigue

4/4/2013

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From mid-March to May is probably the best time to be in Malta. The days start getting longer and the weather is warmer - and mercifully the torrid summer heat is still some way off yet. Life starts to move more and more to the outdoors and there are markedly more activities around, not least the first flurry of local festas as well as a number of other themed village festivals.

Nature also marks its last hurrah at about this time, before the fierce summer sun dries out all but the most resilient of plant life. The Islands boast approximately a thousand wild flowering plants and around seven hundred of them are indigenous – i.e. they occur naturally here rather than being alien introductions.

The climax of Mediterranean ecosystems, woodland, is sadly almost absent in Malta; with the archipelago’s first settlers having probably deforested the islands by the end of prehistoric times. The Knights did somewhat rectify matters by planting Buskett, which after 500 years or so of existence has become a self-generating woodland, characterized by Aleppo pines, olive and orange trees.

Garigue and maquis are by far the most interesting and richest of our habitats and there are plenty of examples in the islands.

Maquis is normally associated with the sides of steep valleys where the relative shade and humidity allow for the growth of smaller trees and bushes. Carobs, olives, lentisk and bay laurel abound here; accompanied by various climbers like ivy and wild asparagus and the beautiful bear’s breeches with its towering white and purple flower stalk.

But it is the garigue which probably brings out the best in Maltese flora. Garigues are rocky expanses bearing numerous depressions which allow soil to collect and water to percolate. The garigue habitat is mostly prevalent in the west of Malta with good examples around Mellieha, Rabat, Dingli, Mgarr and other towns. Gozo has some garigue expanses as well, the largest being the one at Ta Cenc.

The most attractive of garigue residents are probably the orchids, of which Malta has around a dozen species. Two of them, the Maltese Pyramidal and the Maltese Spider orchids, are also endemic – found here and nowhere else worldwide. Equally beautiful is the Southern Dwarf Iris which has a very limited distribution in Europe – found only in Sicily and parts of the former Yugoslavia. Another show stopper is the Sicilian Squill – a plant with an exquisite flower head of white and celestial blue and only found here and in small numbers in Sicily and Calabria – in both of these last places it is considered close to extinction.

The garigues are also home to several low aromatic bushes. Among the most common is the wild thyme which only comes to flower in late May and turns some places into a pale violet carpet. At any time of the year one cannot escape the plant’s sweet, sharp scent. Another aromatic herb is the rosemary whose leaves are frequently used to garnish pork and other dishes.

Yet another heavenly scent comes from the Bushy Restharrow with its small yellow flowers and sticky aromatic leaves. Interestingly this low bush is also of some historical significance since it was the first species to be afforded a measure of official protection. In the eighteenth century Grand Master De Rohan issued an edict forbidding its collection for firewood prior to a fortnight after the feast of St.John ( June 24 ) in order to allow seed formation and dispersal. Progressive thinking for a place where brushwood for fuel was a luxury.

Where garigues border the seaboard cliffs, look out also for Malta’s national plant – the Maltese Rock Centaury – another endemic and a remnant of pre Ice Age flora. Its Maltese name – Widnet il-Bahar (literally “the ear of the sea”) is poetically precise…the plant thrives best in precarious crags on vertical cliff faces as if perpetually listening to the sounds of the sea far below.

These are but a few of the many species which inhabit the garigues. Other plant species are found in other habitat types and man- made environments such as cultivated or fallow fields. Perhaps the most recognizable of the field flowers are the poppies which in Malta come in red and purple varieties.

Ironically (and disappointingly) the most common flowering plant in Malta, the Cape Sorrel, is a South African native; reputedly introduced to the Islands in the early years of British rule by a well meaning but ultimately foolhardy English lady. The plant adapted so well here that it has reached practically all corners of the islands with populations running riot on wide stretches of fields and fallow ground. A pretty sight admittedly – but a plant which has done untold damage to indigenous species and no doubt led to some local extinctions. The Maltese collective memory appears not to have forgotten this alien intrusion – to this day the cape sorrel is colloquially known as “haxixa Ingliza” – the English weed.

To end on a positive note: Malta is lucky to count among its citizens a foremost botanist who has done sterling work in the field of local flora. Edwin Lanfranco not only identified the Maltese Cliff Orache as a separate species but has had the unique distinction of having the species named in his honour - its scientific moniker being Cremnophyton lanfrancoi.

The article above was first published in the April 2013 edition of Il-Bizzilla - Air Malta's inflight magazine

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The Wild Tulip

25/3/2013

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Not too many people are aware that a variety of wild tulip (tulipa australis) exists in Malta. Understandably its exact location is a closely guarded secret, known mostly to nature enthusiasts. I have known about this species for quite a long time and I knew the valley it was located in, but it had taken me quite a few forays to finally locate it. I think it was 2005 - eight years ago.

In subsequent years I sometimes wandered to the area again at the appropriate time of year and was sad to see the place was now being tilled and there were no signs of this rare plant. I assumed it was all but extinct - or at best another population had established itself somewhere nearby.

So it was a pleasant surprise to revisit the area today and find the tulip still in place with about a dozen or so plants in flower. A wonder really that this plant survives at all in an area not larger than your average sized room - and apparently nowhere else.