Showing category "nature" (Show all posts)

Eucalyptus in Portugal - A Very Hot Item

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Monday, May 18, 2015, In : nature

One after the other, long and heavy trucks loaded with eucalyptus logs, drive back and forth. Because of their weight they destroy the streets. They transport the logs from the eucalyptus forests, such as the ones in the Monchique area, to the cellulose processing industry in the middle of the country. "Normal" trucks are not allowed on the street when their load is this heavy, but these giants have a special license.

Eucalytus is the most common tree in the country. 25....

Nature in the Algarve from January till December

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Saturday, May 9, 2015, In : nature

Nature is very present in the Algarve. There is a great biodiversity here and even in the middle of the summer, there is always a green background, wherever you look. One of the things that I instantly loves, was the smell here. The air is filled with aromas of wild herbs and flowers. Nature has something new to offer every month:

January: oranges are ripening, almond trees blossom.

February: Mimosa flowers

March: pear and plum blossom, lavender flowers, frogs, toats ...

Save The Gecko !

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Saturday, November 8, 2014, In : nature

This is a gecko, or in Portuguese: a osga, a harmless and very useful type of lizard that lives in all kinds of warm areas in the world. It is famous for its special toe pads, that enable it to walk on smooth and vertical surfaces and even to cross ceilings with ease. A gecko is unique in its vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. They are extremely useful to people because they feed on...

Alfarroba - About Chocolat, Diamonds and Gold

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Monday, September 29, 2014, In : nature

The carob tree or St. John´s bread tree, is typical for the Algarve. In Portuguese the tree is called Alfarrobeira and the fruit of this tree is called Alfarroba (al-harruba in Arabic).

The carob tree is a member of the legume (pea) family. It is a large tree and grows to 15m in 50 years. It produces no fruit for the first 15 years of its life, but will fruit well into its old age. A large tree can produce one ton of beans in one harvest. Contrary t...

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About Me

Marianne Hoesen

SãO Marcos Da Serra

Born in the deep south of The Netherlands, I moved to the central Algarve in 2007, together with my partner and 2 dogs. In the meantime we added some goats and chickens and are living a peaceful life in the rolling hills of the rural south of Portugal. I invite you to read a bit in my blog and to leave a comment afterwards. Also check out the holiday accommodations mentioned elsewhere in this website.