Natural World 06/17

Observations of atmospheric phenomenons and climate, photos with descriptions of landscapes and places of interest, native and endemic plants and other living creatures, news about plants we grow, what we sow and harvest…

June, the transitional time, when the spring is replaced by summer, but the unsettled weather dominates. Cloudy, cool days at the start of the month and in the middle, some really nice days with bright blue skies. The humid air returned for short while and soon after, strong “calima”, that covered the horizons with dust, turning the blue skies to white haze, followed by strong winds at the end of the month. Photos above are of sunrise and sunset.

Here are photos taken in the mountains of Garachico, on a very nice, sunny day, with the spectacular views of El Teide and two very distinctive colors, the deep blue and soothing green!

The start of summer can be guessed by the start of sunflower bloom. Beautiful plant, spectacular flowers and a great source of omega-3 from the seeds, that I like to eat raw. But this year hope to try oil pressing, although they the did not grew very big, due to the lack of rain, so depends on the final harvest. Another useful plant with beautiful flowers is Phaseolus coccineus, known as broad bean.

Due to strong heat in the mountains, we take a trip to Punta de Teno in search of cooler air, and yes it is cooler with strong winds,typical for the area. From there we take a path along the spectacular coast towards the ravine called Barranco Itobal.

Here we find the shade from wind and the abundance of flora. The dominant plant here is the Canary Island spurge cactus (Euphorbia canariensis), see photos above.

A lot is happening in the gardens this month. The new tomatoes have grown and started giving fruits. The courgette looking fruits are actually, the local variety called “bubango”, that is the cross of courgette (zucchini) and pumpkin, the taste is superior to the courgette and more of the oval shape. They are now in full production.

The corn of the first sowing also have grown now and will be ready soon, as well as wheat and oats. The incredibly generous flowering of purple or black carrot continues with more flower buds forming, although sadly was hit by the strong winds at the end of the month, which as always cause problems with tall plants, especially the corn, that needs to be covered with extra layer of soil to stop it falling.

Happy time, one of my favorite fruits, apricots are now ripe. And due to the cold spell in the beginning of the month, the watermelon radishes have grown, for the first time, what a joy to try these exotic radishes with such an amazing vivid color, they seem to have a milder taste and can be eaten on their own.

Here the story ends, with the photo “the wind in the wheat”, till next time!

Versión española