Wildlfowers are the glory of rural Andalucia; in May, lavishly spread by nature’s hand across every bit of waste ground, threaded through every hamlet, they are a beautiful and uplifting sight.
When my friend Kate told me the wild flowers in southern Spain would be spectacular in May I was delighted – but didn’t really believe her! Now I know the truth of that statement and this month I want to share what I saw with you: sit back and feast your eyes!
In May the rivers are still flowing, cascading from the hillsides and feeding into smaller streams, trickling along cunningly-designed dykes and water courses to irrigate the farmland.
This annual watery abundance, and the warmer weather, together trigger the flowers into life.
Even around the more intensively-farmed areas we saw endless banks and drifts of wildflowers.
Sometimes the simple red poppies we associate with cornfields, or mixed drifts of purples, yellows and whites making an endlessly-repeated and ever-fresh drapery.
In the little villages, daisies, scabious and vetches flow every where along the verges and roadsides, seemingly completely unregarded by anyone except us.
We received quite a few curious looks from local people as we ambled along the lanes, exclaiming out loud about the extraordinary fecundity of this rural countryside.
A waving crowd of flowery onlookers cheers you on your way along every sendero and footpat
Yellow is a particular feature of the spring flowers here; this acts like a neon hamburger sign to hungry pollinating insects that there is pollen and nectar to be had! Hues from subtle palest primrose to sun-strong yellow.
The south-west corner of Andalucia can be quite windy at times; breezes ripple through the flowers and grasses, making them shiver with delight.
Plants we know well in the UK are transformed into their better selves – cardoons for example (cynara cardunculus) with their magnificent, electric-blue flower heads 20cm across. Sprawling clover deep blood-red, beautiful wild gladioli, and the superb little dwarf Morning Glory (convolvulus tricolor).
Other plants are festooned with convolvulus or the pretty single form of sweetbriar – the native wild rose.
In shadier spots, climbing plants reach up into the branches of shrubs in the many copses and thickets. I was fascinated by birthwort (aristolochia baetica) with its deep purple, poison-vase flowers.
And of course myriads of insects are enthralled and nourished by the nectar and pollen from these plants. We saw some excitingly large insects including the thumb-long red-striped oil beetle which drags its body behind powerful forelegs. One afternoon the most enormous cricket, 8cm long. Ianded on me – presumably by accident!
Red-striped oil beetle Andalucia
Bee on wildflower galactites tormentosa Andalucia
Walking one afternoon by the sea at Cape Trafalgar, we saw a very different array of flowers adapted to the salty and stringent conditions of the sand dunes.
Broomrapes in their sombre colours, sea thrift (armeria), eryngium maritima and pretty malcolmia littoria briefly thrive here.
Walking one afternoon by the sea at Cape Trafalgar, we saw a very different array of flowers adapted to the salty and stringent conditions of the sand dunes.
Broomrapes in their sombre colours, sea thrift (armeria), eryngium maritima and pretty malcolmia littoria briefly thrive here.
Upland walks feature many plants familiar to us such as Queen Anne’s Lace, bright convolvulus and beautiful thistles. We saw the pretty rose-red flowers of wild gladiolus just beginning to show themselves, and patches of blue nigella, so much larger and more vibrant than our gentler-hued Love-in-a-Mist.
Upland walks feature many plants familiar to us such as Queen Anne’s Lace, bright convolvulus and beautiful thistles. We saw the pretty rose-red flowers of wild gladiolus just beginning to show themselves, and patches of blue nigella, so much larger and more vibrant than our gentler-hued Love-in-a-Mist.
See for yourself
Early May is the best time for these flowers. There is a later bouquet of high-summer flowers, and of course the spring display is slightly later in the upland areas, but for sheer fecundity and colour, with a background of lush spring greenery, this brief moment in May is for me the highlight of the flowering year.
Hopefully I’ve correctly identified the flowers shown here! There are some online resources available to help you with your wildflower-naming, and the little ‘Wildflowers of Spain’ booklets (vols1-3) by Clive Innes are also useful.
To enjoy more armchair holiday blogs you may like browse our musings featuring Keukenhof in Holland, the beautiful island of Madeira or, a bit closer to home in rural Cumbria, Lowther Castle.
If you would like us to bring new inspiration to your garden, do contact us or complete our Garden Questionnaire
Wildflower nigella Andalucia
![Wildflower_-anchusa-azurea_Andalucia]](https://northleedsgardendesign.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/photo-21-wildflower_-anchusa-azurea_Andalucia.jpg "Wildflower_-anchusa-azurea_Andalucia]")
Wildflower anchusa-azurea Andalucia