Micro documentaries about plants.
Living in a mountainous country implies enjoying its slopes. Not feeling that the climbs are bothersome or that there is danger in the descents. It is not necessary to reach the summits to look far away, there are elevations everywhere from which to stop and scan. The flat lands were civilized, limited and ordered by … Continue reading Palentina
Going on a trip is not just about reaching a destination, having a goal in mind that you propose, forgetting the path that led you there, taking a route and filling in stages. Beyond the beaten paths, perhaps isolated by them, are the true journeys, the areas that no one travels and that are satisfying … Continue reading Walking
"On September 1, 1730, between nine and ten o'clock at night, the earth suddenly opened near Timanfaya, two leagues from Yaiza. On the first night, an enormous mountain rose from the earth and flames escaped from the apex, which continued to burn for nineteen days. A few days later, a new abyss formed and a … Continue reading Volcanism
The Tagus river crosses the peninsula like a scar on the face, which, however, for millennia, adorned that land's face with life. Today, not anymore. The scar is rotten, full of contaminated sediments, bleeding wealth to a few in exchange for its death and the annihilation of its tributaries. But these first capillaries still remain … Continue reading Jaranda riparian
Any reader will enjoy immensely the books "The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature" and "The Songs of Trees: A Journey Through Nature's Connections" by David George Haskell, a biologist and writer who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Some people think that to understand ecology, one must embark on daring … Continue reading Forests and mushrooms
The world is starting to become restless with the "Global Warming" that we euphemistically refer to as "Climate Change". "Warming" is a word that allows for very few doubts. On the other hand, "Change" is a vague word that can mean anything and everything. Trying to scare people with immediate apocalypses, desertification tomorrow, rising sea … Continue reading The climate of fungi
To learn about the seasonal changes, one must look at the trees, contemplate the chestnut groves, the great oak forests, and the small poplar groves clinging to a thread of water. Autumn used to be a time of celebration, of gathering apples and pears, pomegranates and fruits of the gods, of harvesting walnuts, hazelnuts, and … Continue reading Autumn in the chestnut grove
Marshes, estuaries, lagoons, and other coastal wetlands can be found throughout the world. Wetlands, in general, are among the most productive ecosystems and host a great biodiversity at a global scale, or at least when compared to other environments, since they combine the presence of water for longer periods of time, nutrient accumulation, and a … Continue reading Coastal wetlands
The name of the Tagus river here is truly that, a large cut in the limestone, "a giant cut" from the knife of water and tectonic forces. The gancheros who amazed José Luis Sampedro used to come down here from Peralejos to Aranjuez on a river that still resembles this one: "The upper Tagus is … Continue reading Tajo (still) wild
I grew up on the outskirts of a big city, in one of those towns now absorbed by urban growth, where you could still see some countryside around and shepherds with their sheep a few days a week. In spring, specifically in early May, the empty lots were filled with colors: yellows, purples, reds, and … Continue reading Open field flowers
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