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For both our trips to Mallorca we chose to avoid the tourist
hot-spots of the south coast, and headed for the north-east to stay in
Puerto Pollensa. One of the brightest sights of our visit was the massed
army of wayside flowers (top left), seen at their best on a country road
near Alaro. But the the views across Pollensa Bay to the rugged Formentor
peninsula (top right) were quite breath-taking.
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Mallorca has many endemic plants, quite a few of which flower in
the spring. One of the more eye-catching is Hippocrepis balearica (right),
sprouting from cracks in the cliffs beyond the reach of goats and producing
cascades of golden pea flowers. Less obvious but equally fascinating is
Ophrys balearica (left), a member of the Bee Orchid family with
a mirror-like patch on its wonderfully furry lip.
The broad sandy bays of the east coast are backed by extensive
sand-dunes. One great treat among the dunes near Alcudia was to find several
Hermann's Tortoises (bottom left), recently roused from hibernation. Behind
the dunes are the extensive marshes of Albufeira, with excellent opportunities
for bird-watching; we even watched a group of Flamingos resting during
their spring migration.
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The bays are flanked by rugged headlands, each with its own
collection of strange plants. On the Alcudia peninsula, the golden mounds
of Asteriscus maritimus (bottom right) were particularly photogenic.
 
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