A botanist on a mission

[Tamargrace]

Hey

I thought I would introduce myself. I am called Tamar and am from Cornwall in England originally. Life has taken me to the Basque country and am incredibly blessed with many walks, mountains and caminos nearby.

I am an avid walker/ hiker so I really am in my element here. I have touched based qith the camino del norte but have not blogged or logged my journeys (yet) .

Here is my plan.... I have always been a gardener and have a degree and diploma in Botany ( Ethnobotany to be precise) so I am definately interested in the botany of the camino. I have set up my blog ( hike o therapy) and i intend on doing a botanical trail of the caminos over the course of the next few years. I wont be leaving Spain anytime soon, my partner is Basque and has a steady job. We are happy here, the dogs are settled and I really enjoy the lifestyle.

So any advice or interest in the botanical interest of the camino would be fantastic.

Buen camino con muchas plantas y bonitas vistas.

My blog is still an idea in the making with many drafted ideas and blogs but please follow me if you are interested

https://hikeotherapy.wordpress.com

 

[mspath]

Tamargrace,
Welcome to the forum!
As you begin your research you might find some helpful posts/links/tips in these earlier but relevant threads.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/botany.22448/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/wild-medicinal-plants-along-the-camino.21763/
https://www.santiagodecompostela.me...-of-wild-edibles-along-the-camino-de-santiago

Happy hunting and Buen camino!

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

Welcome! I clicked through and enjoyed your post about the rails-to-trails walk in the Basque country and it made me think you may be the perfect person to answer a question I've had for years.

My wife and I have twice walked a lovely two-day rails-to-trails route in Catalunya between Girona and Olot. The Spanish rails-to-trails system, known as the Vías Verdes, is awesome and we hope to walk more of it in the future.

Along the way we frequently saw a pretty plant in two tones of green, dark green leaves below and what looked to us non-botanists like a light green flower above, although I realize that it may not be a true flower. (It was all along the trail in Catalunya but we think we've only spotted it once on the Camino Francés.)

Part of what made it remarkable was that at one point along the trail we spotted a bunch of kindergarten children putting on a pageant in which they were dressed like the flower! See the photo below.

So... what is this plant? And what is its significance in Spain that would make it the theme of a children's celebration?

 

[Tamargrace]

My wife and I have twice walked a lovely two-day rails-to-trails route in Catalunya between Girona and Olot. The Spanish rails-to-trails system, known as the Vías Verdes, is awesome and we hope to walk more of it in the future

I have never been around there and it is an area that I really want to explore -especially the costa brava coastal trails. I dont know much about customs in Cataluña either.

The plant is a Euphorbia but I'm not entirely sure which species it is but my guess is helioscopia. Whichever species it has incredibaly toxic milky sap so dont touch!! I wonder what those little children were are dancing around for. Bless them. I will put un some local enquiries haha

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

The plant is a Euphorbia but I'm not entirely sure which species it is but my guess is helioscopia. Whichever species it has incredibaly toxic milky sap so dont touch!

Mil gracias, Tamar!