Discovering plants in the South of Menorca

Walk to learn about plants in sunshine

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After days of storms and rain, on Sunday 29 January we had a very agreeable day along the coast between Son Saura and Es Talaier, discovering the particular flora of the area. About 60 people listened to the explanations given by the botanic group of GOB-IME.

Son Saura is a place with a variety of habitats. We saw examples of seasonal ponds which are so important for the many unusual plants growing there. Also Mediterranean fields of annual plants where dwarf garlic (Allium chamaemolly) has already flowered. Amongst the woody plants, we noted an example of an extraordinarily large mock privet (Phillyrea latifolia), In the dunes, besides the typical plants, we noted the cotton plant (Thymelaea velutina) endemic to Mallorca and Menorca.

Going towards Punta del Governador along the rocky coast, which is almost without earth because of the wind, we observed an enormous number of plants adapted to these difficult conditions, many of them endemics: the sea lavenders (Limonium minutum, L. artruchium, L. tamarindanum, L. echioides), the coris (Coris monspeliensis), the seashore daisy (Senecio rodriguezii), the milky seashore spurge (Euphorbia pithyusa), the true socarrell (Launaea cervicornis)…

It was a very agreeable morning, enjoying the good weather, the plants and good company. Watch out on our website for announcements of the next excursions for discovering the plants of Menorca.