The Fading Echos of Hax Xluq — by Paul Grech on

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Because of the ever rising number of cars on Maltese roads, and the resulting increase in traffic, people have started getting creative in...

The Rabbit’s Favourite — by Paul Grech on

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It is a scene so common that it is far too often ignored.  Whether you’re walking in the countryside or simply past an abandoned building...

Thorny Issues — by Paul Grech on

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If looks have any bearing, few we dare a second look at the ground thistle.  This is one fierce looking plant that in the early days of it...

The Unnoticeable One — by Paul Grech on

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If one were to draw a list of the least appreciated wild flowers there are then this would be very much near the top.  Whilst others migh...

Beauty, Unappreciated — by Paul Grech on

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As soon as the Azure Window collapsed into the sea the search was on for new natural beauty spots to fill the void.  A similar arch in Wi...

Basking In The Sun — by Paul Grech on

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There is an admirable resiliency in those plants that manage to survive the heat of the Maltese summer in the wild.  Forget to water do...

Intelligence of Nature — by Paul Grech on

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One of the most fascinating aspects of nature is the opportunism with which it imbues living organisms.  Plants and animals alike shape ...

A History of Instability — by Paul Grech on

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When access to the Chapel of Annunciation in Siggiewi was closed off due to the huge cracks that had started to appear along the walls of ...

Faint Echo of Jackdaws — by Paul Grech on

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When a jackdaw ( ċawla ) was shot in Gozo in April 1956, it marked the passing of a species that up till a hundred years earlier had been...

Not Just Any Poppy — by Paul Grech on

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The purple poppy.  When I was a child that is what we used to call this flower whenever we came across it.  And I find that it is what mo...

A Wildflower Of Many Talents — by Paul Grech on

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It is sometimes difficult to appreciate just how much of what we see around us is a recent addition.  This does not necessarily refer to ...

Recalling Bronte — by Paul Grech on

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Heather.  The word brings to mind the wind-swept Yorkshire moors of Emily Bronte novels which this flowering plant populates.  It is large...

The White Flower of November — by Paul Grech on

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Come November and as Maltese fields receive their first real consistent dose of rain they tend to be taken over by this plant that then pa...

Deadly Vanilla Flavour — by Paul Grech on

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Blink and you’ll miss it.  In fact, most people do.   There is something fleeting about this plant that produces a long head covered wi...

Seaside Wonder — by Paul Grech on

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Trips to the seaside have become so sanitised that one beach looks practically exactly like the next one.  People expect the same experie...