A protected environment
Azoreans love their archipelago, its flowers and its tranquillity. Nature is preserved, spaces are very carefully maintained, and the attention paid to the hedges of flowers that brighten up the landscape is truly admirable. Clearly, people like to adorn their island with its most beautiful assets, as if to seduce the walker, and the layout of the small fields surrounded by low basalt walls is a real pleasure for the eyes. However, this has not prevented intensive deforestation. Let's not forget that the islands were entirely forested at the time of the discoveries! Contemplating the archipelago's primitive vegetation is now a luxury. In fact, a new problem has arisen: the importation of multiple plant species has profoundly altered the landscape, whereas the original intention was to enhance it. Japanese cryptomerias, introduced around a hundred years ago, create a picturesque landscape, but their proliferation is detrimental to the development of native vegetation. Even more problematic is the case of pittosporum, so widespread that it is now preventing the growth of the light-demanding beech trees to which it is related, a species endemic to the Archipelago(Faia means beech in Portuguese). Finally, conteira, whose brilliant bouquets of golden yellow flowers were imported to embellish the paths, has since proved to be a real nuisance, introducing itself everywhere as an undesirable: the rhizomes form a compact mass on the ground and prevent other plants from growing. In fact, it's a wild canna(Hedychium gardnerianum), native to the eastern Himalayas (Nepal and Sikkim), a cousin of ginger and considered by some to be the most beautiful Hedychium. The plant reaches two meters in height, and the flowers give off a heady fragrance. Its common French name is jambose blanc or sainfoin d'Espagne (family Zingiberaceae). It is to be feared that the Azorean flora will be impoverished if nothing is done to counteract these trends. Fortunately, many parks now guarantee the survival of certain endemic species and encourage visitors to become more involved in nature conservation. For the time being, tourism development is focusing on the archipelago's authentic, wild side, attracting a type of traveller who loves wide open spaces and respects the environment. However, the explosion in tourism that is likely to occur in the next few years threatens to upset this fragile balance.
A flora of a thousand and one splendors
Around 850 plants have been recorded in the Azores; 60 are endemic, the others have been imported by man. Along the coasts, there is an abundance of species introduced as part of the reorganization of the landscape. Above 500 m altitude, human impact is low, there are few dwellings (due to wind and persistent fog), and flora proliferates. The most remarkable endemic species are laurel, heather, cedar and juniper(Juniperus brevifolia). The high humidity also favours mossy soils. There are over 400 different species on the archipelago! One of the most interesting introduced species is the dragon tree(Dracaena draco), imported from the Cape Verde archipelago. Sangre de drago is a curative resin, its red ink sought-after and used to make medicines. The Romans already used it: gladiators anointed their bodies with it before going into battle.
However, the traveller will not fail to notice that forests have been considerably reduced with the extension of pastures or the systematic cutting of trees for heating and construction, and the proliferation of introduced species such as the Japanese cryptomeria, sometimes used like hydrangeas, reeds or low stone walls to delimit a field and protect livestock from the wind. As a result, cows are calmer and produce better milk. It should also be pointed out that a wind laden with oceanic salt, the mata vacas, can damage vegetation and herds. It also partially hinders the development of natural forests, which tend to be confined to ravines, crevasses and inaccessible mountain peaks. Finally, pittosporum, which is widespread and is changing the Azorean landscape quite radically, was introduced a long time ago to protect orange groves. Today, it competes with fayard (beech), whose spread is beginning to be seriously reduced.
Hydrangeas, mascot of the archipelago
The landscapes of the archipelago are inseparably linked with hydrangeas. Introduced by the Portuguese and originally from Asia, these blue, pink, lilac and violet flowers grow along roadsides and are used to delimit hedges in hedgerows. They are also found in wild areas (volcano slopes and craters). Favored by the subtropical climate, Azorean hydrangeas are colossal in size! They bloom from the end of May to the end of August, with June and July being the best months to enjoy their blooms, which brighten up the whole archipelago, giving it an unusual and romantic character. Generous, these enormous flowering balls will not leave you indifferent.
The islands' volcanic soil makes them rich and fertile, and wild flowers grow in profusion. Add to this the mild, humid climate, and the Azores are a garden in the heart of the Atlantic. Camellias, belladonna and azaleas add colorful touches to the landscape.
This lush vegetation is complemented by subtropical crops such as sugar cane, tobacco, tea and numerous fruits (pineapple, passion fruit, watermelon, orange...). Introduced by the Portuguese colonists, the pineapple has become the flagship of Azorean agriculture and the symbol of the archipelago, particularly of São Miguel. Its acidity, more pronounced than that of its West Indian cousin, enhances its aroma and makes it one of the best fruits you can taste. They are often grown in greenhouses (Azorean winters are limited for their cultivation). This also poses a problem of erosion, since to keep the greenhouses cool in summer, the moss on the mountain is attacked, even though this is strictly forbidden. Entire mountainsides are destroyed, as on the Tronqueira side, not far from Nordeste, in São Miguel. This moss, sometimes several meters thick, is a real sponge for coolness in the summer months.
In the air..
The Azores bullfinch(Pyrrhula murina, priôlo in Portuguese) is a special bird species that has received a certain amount of publicity due to its rarity. Once abundant, it was hunted to near extinction by farmers worried about their orange plantations. It can be seen mainly in the Pico da Vara nature reserve on São Miguel.
Two other species deserve special mention: the garajau and the cagarro. The garajau (common garajau and garajau rosado), in particular, has chosen to nest on Flores, towards Alagoa or Quebrada Nova dos Fanais, in the north-east and north-west of the island respectively. The garajau rosado is a protected species; a fairly rare bird, it is known to be rather facetious. 70% of European garajaus nest in the Azores. The Azores' strangest and most symbolic bird, however, is the cagarro(Calonectris diomedea borealis), an ashy shearwater related to the albatross, of the order Procellariiformes (an order some 30 million years old!). There are three subspecies: eduvarisii (smaller, native to Cape Verde), diomedea (Mediterranean-nesting) and borealis (Atlantic-nesting). In the Azores, it can be seen, or rather heard, from March to October. In fact, this strange bird only comes inland at night, and its distinctive feature is that it utters terrifying cries, sometimes evoking a human voice, sometimes a duck or goose, sometimes who knows what. Opinions differ, and each offers his own comparison. One thing's for sure: you can't miss this baroque symphony (not all the voices are alike) if you linger near the coast (Flores, Faial, Pico or Terceira, for example) at night. If you hear something really strange, look no further: it's our great shearwater. According to tradition, its departure marks the end of summer. It fishes for fish and squid at sea, and is guided by the tuna that pursue the same food. An unfortunate service for the pelamids, since fishermen in turn use cagarros to locate schools of tuna! Today, the species is threatened by human exploitation of the coastline. Some are still killed from time to time. Other more commonly observed birds are the plover (a type of wader, Charadius alexandrinus), the sea swallow or tern (Sterna dougalii and Sterna hirundo), the crested kinglet(Regulus regulus) or the washerwoman (grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea particiae) near woods or quiet paths, the blackbird(Turdus merula azorensis), the chaffinch(Fringilla coelebs moreleti), whose song differs on the continent, the sparrow, the starling or the canary.
