At Vineyard Son Alegre, we are not only interested in wine and olive oil. We are interested in all things of nature and everything else that makes and shapes the culture of our beautiful island.
The month of February is the time of the almond blossom. As our Mallorcan proverb says, ‘Pel mes de febrer floreix l’ametller‘ (in February the almonds are blossoming).
Right now almond trees are in full bloom all over the island. The Mediterranean climate aids the Almond tree (Prunus dulcis) even though it is not an indigenous plant like the Olive tree (Olea europaea), the Holm oak (Quercus ilex) or the Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). Almond trees were mostly planted here in the aftermath of the Philoxera disaster some hundred and twenty years ago which wiped out most of the Mallorcan grape plantation, to give affected farmers a new life-line and a new source of income.
After the recent cold spell with the snow and heavy weather we had a fortnight or so ago, the flowering of the almond trees under a blue sky in February suggests the imminent arrival of Springtime and once again the awakening of the natural beauty of this island.
Sadly, almond trees in Mallorca are currently suffering from a deadly disease or tree pest, an infection inflicted by the xilófago insect. Quite a number of almond trees have already died as a result of this affliction. One speaks of up to 12,000 hectares of almond plantations lost over the last few years. There is also recent news about the Xylella fastidiosa bacterium, a vibrant plant pathogen that causes further damage to our almond trees as well as olive trees and cherry trees. Authorities in Spain are concerned that this bacterium also threatens citrus fruit trees as well as the Mallorcan vine.
The town of Son Servera is holding the Fira de la Flor d’Ametler tomorrow from 09h00 to 14h30 in case you should be so inclined. We might as well enjoy this natural beauty whilst it is still around.
All photos of today’s blog entry were taken by John Hinde. Thank you very much for letting us use them here.
Vineyard Son Alegre 
Reblogged this on Thesecretgarden and commented:
It’s so wonderful to see at least some of the almond trees in blossom, despite the storms. I hope that a solution can be found for this disease, would be interesting to know if there are any permaculturalists who may know.
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It’s so wonderful to see at least some of the almond trees in blossom, despite the storms. I hope that a solution can be found for this disease, would be interesting to know if there are any permaculturalists who may know.
LikeLike