Wildflowers!

The heavy rains that plagued our first three weeks in Portugal laid the foundation for a glorious wildflower bloom in southern Portugal and Spain.  It has brought to mind the Italian blown glass  millefiore -- thousands of multicolored flowers.   Of types, varieties that are somewhat familiar, but not identifiable with my waning garden knowledge.  I hope this sort of display awaits our very wet Chicago area friends.   

As I write, we're packing to leave Granada where we've been for close to a week.  There's a young Spaniard sitting on our tiny street, right under our kitchen window playing his guitar (today's not the first time, and he stays for a couple of hours).  Close to heaven.  

What follows is mostly just photos because I know so little about them.  First, some seaside flowers:

Brooomrape (argh), along a barrier island in southern Portugal.  Weird, asparagus-like .

Ice plants, on a barrier island in southern Portugal.

Further inland now.  The land is forested, frequently with ancient cork groves.  Most of the world's cork is grown in Portugal.  Haven't met a screwtop bottle of wine here yet -- and we've met many.

Lupine like foliage . . .

Irises growing wild.

Orchid like pink flowers.  

Cork trees in the distance.  Below, a marked cork tree, likely harvested in 2008.  Perhaps its unharvested cork is visible in the upper part?

These gazania-looking flowers were prolific in southern Portugal.

Poppies in the sun on a hillside. in Spain

Red poppies in the center.

Coast of southern Portugal. 

Wealth of pollinators.  

Snails!

Now, clearly planted stuff: 

Organized olive groves as far as the eye can see.  Southern Spain, taken from a train.

The wisteria's been in bloom in Andalusia, as it was in Portugal.  So fragrant, and the flowers are tasty, too

Fragrant Brugmansia in bloom.