The fantastic Masca Barranco

Our first view up the barranco after leaving the beach

I haven’t written in this blog about the Masca gorge, or barranco, and neither did I include it in my book ‘Tenerife Nature walks’ despite it being one of the most botanically interesting areas of Tenerife.  One reason is that the gorge is very overcrowded with literally hundreds of people going both up and down, many of them not particularly suited to doing such an arduous walk, so I do not particularly want to encourage more.  However, if you are interested in the botanical rarities which can be found in the gorge, and are fit enough to do the walk, it is a very rewarding experience.

 

Polycarpaea filifolia, a Canary endemic found near the bottom of the gorge. Photo taken Jan 2013

 

This time we decided to walk up the gorge, so we took the boat from Los Gigantes to Masca beach.  It was nice to do it that way, but I think if you want to look at the plants, it is probably better to do the walk downward.  I was struggling to keep up with my friends and did not have time to take good photos of most of the flowers I saw, so I have used some from previous visits.   The gorge has tremendous biodiversity, but I have concentrated on the ones you are less likely to see elsewhere, when choosing the photos to put on this blog.

Dorycnium eriophthalmium, a rare Canary endemic shrub found a short way up from the beach. Photo taken March 2011.

 

I’m not going to describe the walk as once in one end of the gorge, the only way out is either the same way, or the other end!  And while there may be various choices of paths in places in the barranco, you cannot get lost.

Walking up the gorge

As we went up the gorge, I am describing the plants in a bottom-up order.  The first plant I was excited to see was Vieraea laevigata,  a fresh green clump of a plant hanging from a side of the gorge, with yellow daisy flowers.  It is a Tenerife endemic, confined largely to Teno, but a delight to see.  Unfortunately, my photos did not come out!

 

Soon after I saw more than one dwarf shrub with soft filiform leaves and tiny white flowers, Polycarpaea filifolia.

The large distinctive leaves of Salvia Broussonetii, a Canary endemic which flowers late in summer.

 

Higher up, on a bend in the gorge where the path is a few feet above the streamed, I was surrounded by fresh green shrubs around 1 metre high with creamy white flowers. These are Dorycnium eriophthalmium,  a rare Canary endemic.

 

Fruits and leaves of the tree/shrub Maytenus canariensis. These plants can be seen in various places up the gorge, but I did not see any flowers or fruit this time. Photo taken Jan 2013

 

I began to see clumps of large crinkly and hairy leaves, about 15cm / 6 inches across.  I saw them in several places up the gorge.  They are the leaves of Salvia broussonetii, a rare Tenerife endemic which is confined to the Teno and Anaga regions of the island.  It flowers in late summer.

Teline osyroides, a Tenerife endemic of the broom family, largely confined to Teno and West Tenerife

 

Throughout the middle part of the gorge I came across several shrub-sized specimens of Maytenus canariensis which is known in Spanish as Peralillo, or little pear tree.  This is because the leaves bear a resemblance to pear tree leaves, though they are stiffer and more waxy.  The plant can grow to the size of a small tree.  However, this year I was unable to see any flowers or fruit on them, so the photo is from 2013.

 

Another view of the dramatic gorge

Also in the middle part of the gorge, in various places, were the small upright shrubs of Teline osyroides, brightening up the valley with their yellow flowers.

 

 

 

Teucrium heterophyllum, a Macronesian endemic. Photo taken Jan 2013

Previously I have seen the flowers of Teucrium heterophyllum in the gorge, fairly near the top.  It is a lax grey leaved shrub, and the flowers are hard to see, under the leaves.  I did not see them this time.

 

Echium strictum, a canary endemic

As we started to emerge from the gorge into the sunshine just below Masca village, we saw some specimens of Echium strictum in flower.  This isn’t the most striking of the tajinastes (as the Vipers Bugloss family is called in spanish), but still an interesting plant.

We walked up the gorge in 2.75 hours, including a lunch break, but I would have liked to spend a lot longer looking at the plants and flowers, so if that is what you like doing, allow plenty of time – there’s a lot to see!

A Ridge walk to Finca Guergues in the Rural Park of Teno, NW Tenerife

Wild aniseed (Bupleurum salicifolium) is a Macronesian endemic. Here is is growing on a cliff out of reach of the goats

This walk in Teno is  a there and back walk along an old path along a rocky ridge which is quite narrow in places. There are quite a lot of ups and downs on the rocky paths with fabulous views either side of the deep ravines, or barrancos, and the ridges beyond.

We met a herd of goats coming the other way on the path at a fairly narrow point of the ridge.

 

The narrow ridge ends in a surprising way, the path goes to the left of a rocky pinnacle and comes out at the top of a wide meadow sloping westwards down towards the sea. It is actually a series of terraced fields which in the past were used to grow cereals. There is an old farmhouse and some other small buildings.

A rare Sow-thistle species endemic only to the West of Tenerife – (Sonchus fauces-orci)

The walk starts from the second lay-by on the Masca road as it leaves Santiago del Teide, where we parked. Then we walked down to the point of the hairpin bend, which is where the path starts, to the right of a track leading to the Casas Araza, a farm which can be seen from the road.  Follow the clear path with cairns across to the right and down a slope to join the path onto the ridge. The ridge is grazed by a herd of goats and we met them half-way along going back for milking.

A lovely specimen of Canary tree bindweed (Convolvulus floridus) on a cliff. This Canary endemic is used as a street shrub, but it is great to see it in its natural environment

 

Because of the goats the rare Teno vegetation was confined to cliffs which were inaccessible to them. There was also plenty of Retama (Retama raetam) along the route which would have been giving off it gorgeous scent a month ago, but the white flowers were mainly over.

 

When we reached the fields, we just walked down to the farmhouse and the threshing floor and returned to the ridge path. If you want to explore further you can walk down towards the cliffs, but remember you have to walk up again!

 

 

 

The narrowest point of the ridge where the path crosses a traverse and climbs beside this pinnacle to get around the back

Our walk took 3.5 hours and was 6 km long with around 400m cumulative ascent. However, you could lengthen the walk with further exploration at the far end.

The old farmhouse beside the old fields at the end of the ridge. The fields are now dotted with Retama bushes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A view towards Teide from the far end of the ridge

A view down to the village of Masca from the rocky ridge

 

A couple of walks in the laurel forests of Anaga

I have been busy lately and not had a lot of time to write about some walks I have done recently, but I am just going to share some photos of the scenery and flowers.

Forest bindweed (Convolvulus canariensis), a Canary endemic which grows in the laurel forests

Woundwort – (Stachys ocymastrum) seen on the edge of the forest area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canary Arum Lily (Dracunculus canariensis) a Canary endemic, beside the path. The large white spathes are past their best, and drooping, but it is a remarkable plant.

A Cleopatra butterfly (Gonepteryx cleopatra) feeding on Pitch trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa). The Cleopatras are spectacular large yellow butterflies, but very difficult to photograph with their wings open. Lots of them were flying in sunny spots in the forest and at the forest edges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers and buds of Climbing butcher’s broom (Semele androgyna). The flowers, and later the berries, are on the edges of what looks like leaves, but are actually modified stems, or cladodes. This species is a Macronesian (Atlantic Islands) endemic associated with laurel forests.

Annual houseleek (Aichryson laxum ), another Canary endemic associated with the laurel forest, liking shade and damp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canary Guelder rose (Viburnum rigidum), a Canary endemic common in the laurel forests

An open area of the Pista de las Hiedras (Ivy Lane!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large-leaved St John’s wort (Hypericum grandifolium), a Macronesian endemic associated with laurel forests

A view of the rugged landscape of Anaga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Canary speckled wood butterfly (Pararge xiphioides). They are very plentiful in the dappled sunshine in the woods

Anaga sow-thistle (Sonchus congestus). A Canary endemic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canary Figwort (Scrophularia smithii). A canary endemic

Capitana (Phyllis nobla). A Macronesian endemic associated with laurel forests

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Tree Heath (Erica scoparia)- Tejo in spanish. Very common in the exposed ridges and edges of the laurel forest

The walks I took to see these delightful and very special plants can be found at the following links.  The first one is a very easy walk, suitable for people who do not do much walking, which lasted 1.5 hours. The second was longer, taking just over 4 hours, with more climbing and descent, but still not a particularly arduous walk for those used to walking.  Both walks can have slippery surfaces, especially on slopes, when damp (very frequently in these forests!), so good footwear with good grip, and sticks if you use them, are advisable.

http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=6444196

 

http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=4547100