A walk around Erjos lakes with flowers and lots of butterflies

View from the ridge over the lakes to Mt Teide

This walk was done last Wednesday, 24th June, on a warm sunny day with fluffy drifting clouds occasionally blocking views. It is a very varied walk through a variety of environments including laurel forest, pine forest and the lakeside area. Consequently we saw a range of different flowers, and butterflies, in the different areas.

Annual houseleek (Airchryson laxum) in the wall at the side of the sunken lane between Erjos and the lakes

 

 

 

We parked in the centre of Erjos, behind the square and followed the signposts across the main road, down some steps beside the church, across a minor road, and straight on down the road opposite to the right angle bend in the road where a path drops down past a high wall and around an old water reservoir. We were now in the sunken lane which leads to the lakes, by which we would return, but we immediately turned right up another path, signposted to Las Portelas and Monte del Agua. This leads up towards some communications masts where we meet a track.

A Canary Blue butterfly, with wings closed, on a wild thyme plant, (Micromeria sp.)

 

Instead of walking along the track, we took a path up from the corner, marked with a yellow and white cross. This can be overgrown with brambles, but was not bad this time, and our group helped to clear some of the stems encroaching on the path with secateurs, as we passed. The path climbs up to the top of a ridge which, after a little while, overlooks the Erjos lakes in the valley below. There are also fine views over the lakes to Mt Teide, and the volcanic landscape between.

A Brown Argus butterfly (Aricia agestis cramera), one of many flying as we walked along the ridge

 

 

On the ridge we saw many Canary Blue butterflies (Cyclyrius webbianus) and Brown Argus (Aricia agestis cramera). The photos are not the best, as the subjects do not stay still long! And with other walkers I cannot linger too long! After walking along the ridge some way, with ups and downs we met a track coming up from the lakes, joined it for a few yards and then took a path right into the laurel forest. (Note this was not the first path on the right down into the forest – there is one just before you reach the track)

Forest bindweed (Convolvulus canariensis), along the path in the laurel forest

The path in the laurel forest is roughly level with only slight ups and downs. It goes through an area affected by the forest fire in 2007. The burnt laurels grow up from the base again, leaving the burnt trunks standing, but now they are rotting at the base they are falling, often across the path! So there are a few obstacles on the path, but nothing major as some cutting has been done. The fire allowed light to get through to the forest floor, and since then there have been a wealth of flowers through this part. Those in flower at this time of year included Balm of Gilead (Cedronella canariensis), Malfurada (Hypericum grandifolium), Reina del monte (‘Mountain queen’) (Ixanthus viscosus), Forest Bindweed (Convolvulus canariensis), Canary Islands Buttercup (Ranunculus cortusifolius), and Canary Islands Cranesbill (Geranium reuteri). The last two had nearly finished flowering. The butterflies seen in the laurel forest were the Canary speckled woods (Pararge xiphioides).

A section of the path through the laurel forest, complete with fallen trunk.

In the forest at the first path junction we went right, then shortly after we took a right fork down to the Fuente de los Loros, a lovely spot where a tap drips water out of a rocky outcrop. Because of the water, you can hear plentiful bird life in the vicinity. Returning to the fork, we continued on the other path, turning left shortly afterwards to join a track, turning right along it, and walking down to an open col, the Cumbre de Bolico, where the track turns sharply to the right. At this bend we took a signposted path, up to the left. The path continued up gently, with beautiful views to the right down towards the rugged landscape around Masca till we arrived at the col called the Degollada de la Mesa where we had our lunch.

A view towards Masca from the path between Cumbre de Bolico and Degollada de la Mesa

 

 

 

After lunch we continued following the yellow and white waymarked path over the col, down towards Santiago del Teide, until we reached the end of a track, where we turned left. This track winds around Mt Gala, the mountain with the fire watchtower and communications masts, until it reaches the tarmaced access track to the tower and masts. Here we should have continued across the track following the yellow and white marked path down to the lakes, but instead we decided to walk down the track and turn down another path towards the lakes, which was, I believe, the Camino Real or Royal Road, from Santiago del Teide to Erjos. However a short distance before this path joins the tracks around the lakes, it is badly overgrown with brambles, so we had to do a long detour through the overgrown abandoned fields to find a way around the brambles.

A Meadow Brown butterfly (Maniola jurtina) feeds from a Roof Houseleek (Aeonium urbicum var meridionale)

After that adventure we just had to walk along the track by the lakes, and rejoin the yellow and white route, through the delightful sunken lanes, back to the village of Erjos.  On the way we saw Bath White butterflies, Small white, Clouded yellow and Canary Red Admirals.

The walk was approximately 12 km and involved around 450m of climbing, mainly in small ups and downs. It took us nearly 5 hours, at a leisurely summer pace, enjoying the surroundings.

A Bath White butterfly (Pontia daplidice) feeding from a Milk Thistle flower (Silybum marianum)

Arico Nuevo revisited in May

A magnificent example of Roof houseleek (Aeonium urbicum var. meridionale)

On May 17th we did a walk combining Walk 14 in the book ‘Tenerife Nature Walks” with the walk described in this blog on 13th September 2012, starting and ending in the square of Arico Nuevo  in South Tenerife.  So I will not describe the walk, but just share some of the botanical highlights.

The special feature of the walk this May was the number of magnificent specimens of Roof Houseleek (Aeonium urbicum var. meridionale), all at their best.  I think the large number of  big flower heads may be down to the exceptionally heavy rains Arico suffered this last winter several times.

The path climbing out of the Barranco Tamadaya, with another Roof houseleek beside it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Jasmine (Jasminum odoratissimum) in the Barranco Tamadaya

 

 

 

 

Mosquera (Globularia salicina) still in flower, it usually flowers early spring (Jan-Mar)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narrow-leaved cistus (Cistus monspeliensis) in full bloom

Pine forest Cistus (Cistus symphytifolius) was on the southern edge of Lomo Tamadaya where there are a few pine trees

The path descending from the Lomo Tamadaya into the Barranco Tamadaya. This area is rich botanically

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canary wormwood (Incienso in spanish) (Artemesia canariensis) in flower under the cliff

 

 

 

 

 

Unripe berries of the Spiny buckthorn (Rhamnus crenulata) in the Barranco Tamadaya

 

 

A circular walk from Santiago del Teide with plenty of flowers

Several flowering shrubs of Lesser White Bugloss (Echium aculeatum), an endemic of the Western Canary Islands

 

I walked this route with a few friends last Wednesday, 23rd April, and the area was so green and so many flowers were out that I had to blog about it. Some of the flowers were the local endemics, others were common mediterranean plants, but they all were a delight.

Retama bush (Retama rhodorhizoides) in full flower. The scent is gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We set off from the barbecue park on the edge of Santiago del Teide, near the church, along the road in the direction of Erjos and the north. We passed the turning to Valle de Arriba and continued along the main road to the next corner where we took the footpath up the hill. As we approached the footpath we could already see lots of bushes of Lesser white bugloss (Echium aculeatum) an endemic of the western Canary Islands, and Retama (Retama rhodorhizoides) bushes, both covered in white flowers. The Retama is also a Canary endemic.

The view back towards Santiago del Teide from half-way up the initial climb

The footpath started uphill gently and in shade, but soon got steeper, and out in the sun, so we had a few stops to admire the view and look at wildlife. We heard a Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara koenigi) repeatedly giving an unusual call, a loud note rising at the end, which we think must have been a mating call. We looked where it was coming from and were amazed to see the Partridge in the branches of a dead shrub. I have never seen one standing on anything other than the ground, and only leaving that in flight very reluctantly when feeling threatened.

A Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara koenigi) on the branches of a dead shrub

 

 

 

Shortly afterwards we saw the first of numerous Small Copper butterflies (Lycaena phlaeas). During the course of the walk we also saw lots of other butterflies, including Canary Red Admirals, Canary Blues and Small Whites.

Small Copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) on a Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)

 

 

 

 

Roof houseleek (Aeonium urbicum var meridionale), another Canary endemic found only on Tenerife in the Teno and Santiago del Teide area

 

 

As we climbed we saw one specimen of the Roof Houseleek (Aeonium urbicum var meridionale) in flower. It only grows in the Santiago del Teide and Teno area, with lots growing on the lava flows (malpais) around Arguayo, but this one was on its own.

A view of Teide from the track down from Mt Gala

 

 

The path reaches the end of a track, but continues upwards to the ridge where some superb views of Teno can be seen, but we went right, walking along the track which winds its way around the slopes of Mt Gala with its fire watchtower and communications masts on top. The track reaches a narrow tarmac access track on a ridge. This is the access to the masts and tower on Mt Gala, and runs down a ridge which marks a watershed between the north and south of Tenerife. It is noticeably greener on the northern side, due to more rain from the north-easterly prevailing winds. We turned right to descend the track till we were not far from the main road, before turning left down a very old, partly cobbled footpath down towards the Erjos lakes. At the bottom we turned right to go up to the main road again, joining it near to the Restaurant Fleytas. Taking this little diversion avoided walking along the main road on some dangerous bends.

Cineraria (Pericallis echinata) another Canary endemic

 

We walked on the main road a short way, past the Restaurant Fleytas, took the road to the left after the bus-stop and turned left again before the first house, onto a concrete track. This took us down and then up past some cultivated fields. The field edges, and some uncultivated areas were awash with wildflowers such as Common poppies (Papaver rhoeas), Tangier peas (Lathyrus tingitanus), and Lathyrus articulatus, with Milk thistles (Silybum marianum) and many other vetches and other common flowers.

Tangier pea (Lathyrus tingitanus) was abundant on the northern side of the watershed

 

The concrete road joins the road to San Jose de los Llanos, we turned left along it for a short distance till we reached a roundabout by the newly completed rural museum which is still not opened. Here we turned right and immediately right again to go around a very fine large pine tree and along a track around Mt Tamaseche. The track runs parallel but higher than the road for a while before turning to the south. The track had lots of flowers either side including the Tree Sow-thistle (Sonchus canariensis) which is common in this area, the Pine Cistus (Cistus symphytifolius), with its large papery pink flowers, Tree heaths, (Erica arborea) and Sticky broom (Adenocarpus foliosus), a Canary endemic. We stopped for our lunch on a bend in the track overlooking the lovely fertile valley of Valle de Arriba.

Lathyrus articulatus, another plant of the sweet pea family which was abundant on this walk

 

After this bend the landscape was more south facing and noticeably more open, although the uncultivated fields were still very green, but in places had a haze of carmine in them. Closer examination identified the carmine haze as carpets of Field Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus) in amongst the grass.

Field Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus) is common in the fields above Valle de Arriba

 

The track goes through a narrow gap where it is a bit rough underfoot and not long after there is a track junction where we went right. This goes through an area with a lot of fig trees in fields which are largely uncultivated, but are full of wildflowers. We passed just one group of yellow-flowered shrubs of the broom family. I have seen them before and believe them to be Teline stenopetala, a macronesian endemic which is more common in the north of the island.

Atlantic Islands Whin (Teline stenopetala), a macronesian endemic

 

At a T-junction of tracks we turned right and soon met the tarmac road which goes to the shrine above Valle de Arriba. We turned right to go down it, although some of us took a short-cut on the footpath lower down. Either way we walked down to the village of Valle de Arriba and through it back to Santiago del Teide.

At a T-junction of tracks we turned right and soon met the tarmac road which goes to the shrine above Valle de Arriba. We turned right to go down it, although some of us took a short-cut on the footpath lower down. Either way we walked down to the village of Valle de Arriba and through it back to Santiago del Teide.

The walk was 12.75 km / 7.9 mls long with 444m / 1458 ft of ascent and descent. It took us nearly 4.5 hours at a leisurely pace.