1 of 3
Rock Rose, photo by Zeynel Cebeci (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
2 of 3
Crimson peas are often visited by Cleopatra butterflies. Photo by © Tara Shain.
3 of 3
Sweet alyssum, photo by Forest & Kim Starr (CC BY 3.0 US) via Wikimedia Commons.
By April, Barcelona's Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola is blooming all over. Rock roses fill the wood clearings, thriving in the thin dry soils. They fire off flowers at a dizzy rate, though the fragile, fleeting petals soon drift to the ground. That’s if they don’t get eaten first, as rock roses are often jeweled with hungry beetles, peppering petals with holes. The insects return the favor by getting coated in pollen.
The open sunny slopes are flecked with crimson peas, whose stems merge invisibly with the grass. Like all members of the pea family, these vibrant, apparently disembodied flowers have an intricate five-petaled structure. The prominent purple banner presides over two lilac wings that fold over the two-petaled keel, where the stamens and pistil are stowed. Crimson peas are often visited by Cleopatra butterflies, deflecting sunlight with their luminous wings.
1 of 3
Field marigold, photo by Andrea Moro (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
2 of 3
Common poppy, photo by Zeynel Cebeci (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
3 of 3
Topped lavender, photo by Josep Gesti (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
Every spring, a small stony field overlooking the valley of Sant Just turns into a magic carpet of sweet alyssum and field marigolds, with scarlet poppies woven in. Clumps of lavender sprout petals like twists of purple crepe paper. There’s a zest of fresh fennel as new sprigs appear among the brittle twigs of last year’s crop. Painted lady butterflies spread their wings, as flat as mortar boards.
Then there are solitary surprises. Some hound’s tongue sheltering behind a bush of broom, diminutive wine-red flowers nestling among soft grey leaves. Or a tassel hyacinth putting in a timely appearance: in Castilian it’s known as the nazareno, named after the cone-headed penitents that march in Easter processions, often in sombre purple gowns.
Tassel hyacinth, photo by Père Igor (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
Down shady paths, among the ferns and ivy, periwinkles star the ground, covering every available space. Emerging from the damp shadows are purple gromwell and tiny wood forget-me-nots, which change color like litmus paper. As they grow, their cell sap turns alkaline, and the flowers turn from red to blue.
Nick Lloyd and Lucy Brzoska write for www.iberianature.com and run nature tours in Barcelona.
Published March 29, 2010, updated March 27, 2024.