A few weeks ago, I posted about our trip to Tenerife (Canary Islands) and our day trip to a number of gardens. Those were further afield, but Puerto de la Cruz – where we were staying – had gardens too!
On our second full day on Tenerife, we visited Jardín de Aclimatación de La Ortova, more simply known as “Jardín Botánico de Puerto de la Cruz,” a botanic garden (jardín botánico), a not-terribly-long walk from where we were staying. Beyond the usual garden things – plants, water features, a welcome amount of shade – we also saw Eurasian blackbirds, Eurasian collared doves, a rat (just chillin’ in the undergrowth), and an endemic butterfly! Called “Canary speckled wood,” which confused the hell out of me when I ID’d it. I thought perhaps my app had glitched and focused on a tree!
Unlike the animals, the plants were well-labeled – as one can do when the subject is stationary – with species, family, common name, and area of origin! Which is how I know this funky donut-looking thing is a fig tree from tropical Asia!
That, and having played Metaflora for a while now, I was delighted to actually recognize some of the family names!! It’s the little things.
