List of plants and animals/ SILVER AWARD

ANIMALS

MAMMALS
1. Madeira Bat/ Murciélago de Madeira/Chauve'souris de Madère -- Pipistrellus maderensis

BIRDS

Blackbird/ Mirlo/ Merle -- Turdus merula cabrerae

Red-billed Chough/ Graja/ Crave à bec rouge -- Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax barbarus

Plain Swift/ Vencejo unicolor/ Martinet unicolore -- Apus unicolor

Common Kestrel/ Cernicalo/ Faucon crécerelle -- Falco tinnunculus canariensis

Canary Island Chiffchaff/ Mosquitero/ Pouillot des Canaries -- Phylloscopus canariensis canariensis

Wild Canary/ Canario/ Canari -- Serinus canaria

REPTILES

Western Canary Lizard/ Lagarto Tizon/ Lézard à cou bleu -- Gallotia galloti palmae

Tenerife Gecko/ Perenquén Delalande/ Gecko -- Tarentola delalandii

ARTHROPODS OTHER THAN INSECTS

Banded Garden Spider/ Araña tigre/ -- -- Argiope trifasciata

Tropical Tent-web Spider/ -- / -- -- Cyrtophora citricota

Canary Centipede/ Ciénpie/ Scolopendre des Canaries -- Scolopendra valida

House Centipede/ Cienpie Casero/ Centipedes -- Scutigera coleoptrata

INSECTS

Canary Black Bee/ Abeja Negra Canaria/ Abeille Noire des Canaries -- Apis mellifera linneo

PLANTS

WOODY PLANTS

Rockrose/ Jara/ Ciste de Montpellier -- Cistus monspeliensis

Pitch Trefoil/ Tedera/ Psoralée bitumineuse -- Bituminaria bituminosa

Fig Tree/ Higuera/ Figuier -- Ficus carica

Periploca/ Cornical/ Périploque -- Periploca laevigata

White Broom/ Retama Blanca/ Genêt blanc -- Retama rhodorhizoides

Dog Rose/ Escaramujo/ Eglantier -- Rosa canina

Dragon Tree/ Drago/ Dragonnier -- Dracaena draco draco

Balsam Spurge/ Tabaiba Dulce/ Euphorbe balsamique -- Euphorbia balsamifera

Canary Islands St. John's Wort/ Granadillo/ Millepertuis -- Hypericum canariense

Yellow Jasmin/ Jazmin Silvestre/ Jasmin Jaune -- Jasminum odoratissimum

Wild Olive/ Acebuche/ Olivier Sauvage -- Olea europea cerasiformis

Rubia/ Tasaigo/ -- -- Rubia fruticosa

Canary Madrone/ Modroño canario/ Arboursier -- Arbutus canariensis

Canary Wormwood/ Incienso/ Armoise des Canaries -- Artemisia thuscula

Tree Lucerne/ Tagasaste/ -- -- Chamaecytisus palmensis

Canary Island Spurge/ Cardon/ Euphorbe des Canaries -- Euphorbia canariensis

Bitter Spurge/ Tabaiba Amarga/ Euphorbe amere -- Euphorbia lamarckii

Kleinia/ Verode/ -- -- Kleinia neriifolia

Canarian Lavender/ Mato de Risco/ Lavande des Canaries -- Lavandula canariensis

Canary Date Palm/ Palmera Canaria/ Palmier des Canaries -- Phoenix canariensis

Canary Pine/ Pino Canario/ Pin des Canaries -- Pinus canariensis

Canary Island Sorrel/ Vinagrera/ Oseille des Canaries -- Rumex lunaria

Blue Tajinaste/ Tajinaste Azul/ -- -- Echium webbii

Aeonium/ Bejeque/ -- -- Aeonium davidbramwellii

Aeonium/ Bejeque/ -- -- Aeonium vestitum

NON-WOODY PLANTS

Venus Hair Fern/ Culantrillo de Pozo/ Capilaire Cheveaux de Venus-- Adiantum capillus-veneris

Scarlet Pimpernel/ Muraje/ Mouron Rouge -- Anagallis arvensis var. caerulata

Fleshy Canary Samphire/ Lechuga de Mar/ Laitue de Mer -- Astydamia latifolia

Field Marigold/ Calendula Campestre/ Souci des Champs -- Calendula arvensis

Rabbit's Foot Fern/ Batatilla/ Patte de Lapin -- Davallia canariensis

Drusa/ Pegajosa/ -- -- Drusa glandulosa

Fern/ Helacho Macho/ Fougère -- Dryopteris oligodonta

Purple Viper's Bugloss/ Palomina/ Viperine Pourpre -- Echium plantagineum

Petty Spurge/ Lechetrezna Tomagallo/ Euphorbe des Jardins -- Euphorbia peplus

Fennel/ Hinojo/ Fenouil -- Foeniculum vulgare

Fumitory/ Palomina/ Fumeterre -- Fumaria muralis

Sticky Weed/ Raspilla/ Gaillet Grateron -- Galium aparine

Small Flower Mallow/ Malva/ Mauve -- Malva parviflora

Field Poppy/ Amapola Roja/ Coquelicot -- Papaver rhoeas

Greater Plantain/ Llanten/ Plantain -- Plantago major

Bur Bristlegrass/ Pega-Pega/ Sétaire -- Setaria adhaerens

Milk Thistle/ Cardo Mariano/ Chardon Marie -- Silybum marianum

Black Nightshade/ Yerbamora Negra/ Morelle Noire -- Solanum nigrum

Navelwort/ Sombrerillo/ Ombilic des Rochers -- Umbilicus heylandianus

Nettle/ Ortiga/ Ortie -- Urtica urens

Wood Violet/ Violeta de Monte/ Violette de Rivin -- Viola riviniana

Canary Black Bindweed/ Norsa/ Tamier -- Tamus edulis

Canary Oat/ Balango Canario/ Avoine des Canaries -- Avena canariensis

Canary Bellflower/ Bicácaro/ -- -- Canarina canariensis

Cliff Trefoil/ Trebol de Risco/ Trèfle de rocher -- Dorycnium eriophthalmum

Mercury/ Ortiga Mansa/ Mercuriale -- Mercurialis canariensis

Pericallis/ Encimba/ Péricalle de La Palma -- Pericallis papyracea

Hare Lettuce/ Lechuguilla/ Laiteron -- Sonchus palmensis

REMARKS ON THE THREE SPECIES OF MOST INTEREST TO XISCA:

The first specie I want to honour is the Tree lucerne (Chamaecytisus palmensis) which is called Tagasaste here. This little tree is not especially noticeable, but is so useful, either for men but also all nature. This is a legume, so one already knows this brings nitrogen to the soil. It is also loved by goats, and so is often cut in nature to bring back to cattle. And the more you cut, the more it grows. It will even grow better and stronger. You can also use it to mulch the ground and make compost. It is very wise to plant it in the orchard, between other trees, so that it delivers nitrogen. It can also be planted with vegetables and serve as a pole and for some light shade. Last but not least, he has another great quality, as an hydraulic lift. He has two kinds of roots, most of them being on average 3 feet deep. These roots provide both nutrients and water. And it also has deep roots which are made to suck up water. All this is very normal for a plant, especially one that can stand drought;
thought tagasaste does not grow at the lowest and driest altitudes. What is special from some plants, including the tree lucerne, is the ability from those deep roots to deliver it to the upper grown during the night, so that the more superficial roots can make a profit of this water during the day. And of course, this also profit to all other plants growing around. The tree lucerne from the Canarian islands has thus been introduced as forage in other countries.

My second favourite is a bird, the Canary Islands Chiffchaff, which is different from the continental chiffchaff. Well, you can hardly call it chiffchaff, as you will never hear the characteristic chiffchaff song! I was even surprised to learn it was a sort of chiffchaff. I like its greyish eyeliner that says "it's me" even to the newcomer that knows nothing about birds, but most of all I like it for its discrete but permanent presence with me in the garden. And I know it is a friend there, eating bugs! So I forgive them to eat my kakis in late autumn. I even promise to look for what food I can grow for them when bugs are scarce, so that plenty of them stay around. It is a pity they are so familiar and come so close to the ground that they are a prey for the local cats. Their way of moving all the time is not sufficient for their safety. I can notice one of those quite small birds is there just from the noise of its wings around me. Their local name is mosquitero, which means they eat mosquitos, and they also bear the name of hornero, and horno means oven. This comes from the shape of their nest, which I never saw until now, but sure I will recognize it at first sight, as it is round and closed but the entrance.

Now, I must chose only one more, and it cannot be but the Dragon Tree! It is really abundant here, and the representative of the barrio. The Burracas drago "forest" has been shown numerous times on the web! They are scattered by birds I suppose, and we get them off as weeds in the gardens… Well, they are sold 1 euro along the path, and one can take them home, as they do well in pots. I have seen them in pots even in the island. Well, of course you can that way get one in town, but also, you can avoid having to quit its long invasive bloody roots among your veggies! Who says some trees can live with no water? They just know where and how to get it better than others! And yes, it is true that their sap looks very much like blood, just a little more orange than blood, but who knows what sort of blood dragons have... And yes, they are strong trees that you can hardly kill. Just take one off the garden earth and leave it there roots up. It will still be green a few months later, so that I hardly know if it is dead or alive. I also have one without bark all around its trunk. It burnt lots of years ago. I'm sure it's alive as it gives fruits, but no tree would be still alive. And I also have one in the biggest pot I could find. I had to take one out of the cement canal near a stone wall, just because it should not have been left here. But I could not just cut such a tree that was already 6 feet tall and more or less 8 to 10 years old, without trying to keep it alive. And it still looks alive though we had to cut most of its roots so that it could fit into the pot. Its sap is medicinal and was a major export from the island, and I just wander if one can get as strong and old as a dragon through its blood. I just guess it can work better than shark cartilage and with much more respect of nature.