From vineyards to scrub

In the abandoned terraces, where many years ago there were vineyards, a varied collection of semi-woody plants of low and medium-size are now fighting back having been subject to many wildfires. They form the scrub: the Montpellier rock rose (Cistus monspeliensis) with its white, spring flowers and sticky leaves. The Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) aromatic shrub, in summer it opens its violet flowers with petals reminiscent of the ears of a donkey. The flax-leaved daphne (Daphne gnidium) with narrow leaves that can cause irritation, is the first to regrow after the fires. The tree heath (Erica arborea) if given time, reaches considerable heights until turning the scrub into a maquis.