SPANISH SOFT FRUITS & SCREEN NURSES (LINK, SORT OF) ...

Soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries etc are cultivated practically all year round here in Southern Spain mainly, though not exclusively, in polytunnels and distributed across Europe 

                                                                 And those infamous polytunnels:

Linked to Alphabe-Thursday where our second ‘S’ is for *S*creen nurses like …

Hotlips (MASH)

Nurse Jackie

Kill Bill Vol 1

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

An American Werewolf in London

Kathy Bates in Misery

Nurse Carol Hathaway

        ANY FAVORITE SCREEN NURSES HERE - OR OTHERS MEDICS ... 

And, finally, thank you to all our dear readers who visited or commented.

Enjoy!

NORA & LOLA:)

SPAIN'S ALMOND TREES ...

Almond trees were domesticated as far back as 3.000 BC and have been part of our local Mediterranean culture for millennia. Approximately 1.7 million tons of almonds are produced every year around the world. Spain is the second largest almond producer in the world (13% of annual production) after the United States (over 40 percent annually) and relies on Andalucia and Valencia as its main producing regions.

Almond trees add a special charm to the landscapes of Andalucia with their willowy wispy branches and delicate flowers. The largest populations of almond trees can be found in La Axarquia in Malaga Province, also about 22km inland from Marbella.

If you travel across southern Spain in the Spring while the almond trees are in full bloom (usually from late January until about mid March), you’ll see that some are white and others pink. The white blossoms produce sweet almonds while the pink ones produce the bitter variety. The latter contain cyanide which must be removed before consuming the extract of these nuts.

Enjoy!

Nora 

SPAIN'S OLIVE TREES ...

                                                   Andalucía alone produces one-third of Spain's olive oil

                                   and 10% of that used in the entire world.

  
Enjoy!

 Nora           

PINE PROCESSIONAL CATERPILLARS ...

Linked to: Scenic Weekends, Shadow Shot Sunday2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Macro Monday2, I Heart Macro, Our Beautiful World, Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday, Our World Tuesday, Skywatch Friday, Weekend Reflections & Alphabe-Thursday where *P* is for our seasonal hazard here in the Southern Mediterranean:                 
                                      Pine Processional Caterpillars

Pine Processionary Moth (PPM) larvae (caterpillars) feed on the needles of pine trees and other conifer tree species, forming candy floss-like cocoons. In large numbers they can severely defoliate trees, weakening them (above photos) and making them more susceptible to attack by other pests or diseases, or to environmental stress caused by drought or rainstorms. PPM gets its name from its distinctive habit of moving about in nose-to-tail processions:

They represent a public health hazard because they have thousands of hairs which contain an irritating protein called thaumetopoein. These hairs can be blown by the wind into contact with people and animals, resulting in painful skin irritations and rashes and, sometimes, allergic reactions in people and death in animals.

                This is how a healthy Mediterranean Umbrella pine should look:

                                                    plus red-ish robins:

                    
                      and here's how it looks after it's been "got" at by caterpillars:

                           Apologies if you were about to have a meal!

And, finally, thank you to all our dear readers who visited or commented.

Enjoy!

NORA & LOLA:)