Tajinaste azul and other delights

Busy busy bees

When the year is just starting and everything goes green, it is time to check on some of our favourite plants on Gran Canaria.

First plants to start flowering are almonds, no question about that. Weather was fluctuating wildly from the norm (if there is such a thing) this winter: they started already in December, coming to the crescendo in mid-January and leaving practically no flowers for the Almonds in Bloom celebration in Tejeda, which was scheduled, as always, on the first weekend of February.

Second lot is the tajinaste (or taginaste) azul, blue bugloss of Gran Canaria.*

Again, the timing varies significantly. The first time I went to see them was in the beginning of May 2015, they were almost finished, but not quite; the second time, in 2016, it was in the first half of March and they were in bloom. Last year, we went in on a scheduled hike with Arawak in April and saw only two plants already in bloom, others still firmly in bud. This year, we went on the 14 March and found the whole Barranco de la Pasadera in bloom — and not just tajinaste plants. So. If you want to go, you might want to start checking social networks in the first half of March. Somebody from Gran Canaria is bound to publish some pics as soon as the first flowers appear.

There is very little to write really — just enjoy the pics :)

beautiful poppies

Canarina canariensis, Canary bell flower, normal, orange color

And highly unusual pure yellow specimen. This is the only plant with pure yellow flowers I know for sure.
I think there was another one in Tilos de Moya, but I am not 100% sure of that

Banana passionfruit, Passiflora tarminiana.
It is a cultured plant, not a wild one, but Rincon de Tenteniguada is the only place I saw it growing on the island so far.

Plum flowers

Arisarum simorrhinum, kinda weird. You need to look closely to spot this brown squiggle between all the brightness

Erysimum albescens, alhelí, beautiful cousin of cabbage

Echium callithyrsum

...and another busy busy bee

Dead and dried opuntia cactus stem texture

Moai of Tenteniguada

Kirill took a few videos, to introduce some sound and movement of the insects, mostly bees.

Interestingly, when we were there, the sound of busy bees on tajinaste flowers seemed the loudest, while in the video you can hear very little, if any, of it. Probably to do with how higher and lower frequencies are recorded.

Check out the scenery. As if the flowers weren’t enough. They have way, way too much of geology in here, as I’ve already written somewhere.

Here is a little (very little) map for you — how to get to the lower part of the Barranco de la Pasadera ravine and to the first bushes of tajinaste, starting from the bus stop at the Casas del Rincon. There is less than a kilometer, and you don’t really need to ascend much to see all the beautiful flowers, you can walk up just a little but, and they all will be there waiting for you. But if you feel extra energetic, you can carry on up, there are paths to San Mateo, to Las Cumbres etc.

The path is marked, if you like to be doubly sure you are going the right way.

--------------------------------------------------

* Third one will be silver tansy, but it is not in bloom yet), so watch this space.

Text and photos by Tamara.

Flora of Gran Canaria on Shutterstock

Mind you, this is just a small part of what I have to show on the subject. My full portfolio on Shutterstock — here.