Limone sul Garda’s lemon houses are both beautiful and ingenious. Built back in the 15th century, they allowed Italy’s Lake Garda to become the northernmost spot in Europe in which lemons were grown. In fact, they were so successful that the area became a thriving lemon exporter, thrashing most of the surrounding competition and shipping…
Category: Biology
How does location affect a wine’s taste? A terroir tour!
Row after row of vines basking in the sun. At first glance, wineries appear the same the world over. But stare a little closer and differences in winery character become apparent – accompanying castle-like chateaus in St. Emilion, laidback estates in Waipara, rustic farmhouses in Malta. But look even closer, and that’s when the character…
Hello wild artichoke!
In spring, Malta’s countryside is dotted with the violet blooms of wild artichoke (Scientific name: Cynara cardunculus, Maltese name: Qaqoċċ tax-xewk). The plant actually predates man’s arrival on the islands, and has likewise been found in other countries around the Mediterranean for millennia. Although it adds a striking pop of colour wherever it grows, most…
Oamaru’s blue penguins
Everyone sits still in the dusk light – the spot lit up only with an amber glow, that blue penguins can’t see. The sole sound is that of the sea crashing onto the rocks below. We’ve been told not to move or speak, to allow the penguins to easily find their way back home. We’re…
Normandy’s American Cemetery and the science of courage
The white crosses and stars in Normandy’s American Cemetery seem to go on for miles. Buried under each, an American soldier who died fighting in World War II’s D-day landings and their aftermath. Each a life lost right in its prime, and all in just a few weeks. Some markers have tiny American flags or…
The Ugly Side of Malta’s Kaffir Figs
These pretty flowers have an ugly side. Carpobrotus edulis is one of Europe’s top 100 invasive alien species.
Pandas in Chengdu!
Giant pandas and I go way back; or at least my one-sided love for them does. ‘Panda’ was my fated companion from birth through childhood. He was a soft toy about the size of a one-year-old cub, gifted by my dad to my mum whilst they were still dating. After I was born, he…
Beijing’s Cherry Blossoms
A man’s rice noodles dribble out of his mouth as I walk past. His mouth remains agape – my appearance has made him forget that he’s eating. He’s not the only one. A few metres away, a group of girls giggle and point in my direction. Two middle-aged women angle their mobiles to take…
Puffins Galore in Latrabjarg
I’m lying face down on soily ground, balancing my weight precariously on a hollowed out cliff edge. Not an ideal situation considering I’m afraid of heights. Yet I continue to wriggle my way forward until I’m leaning over the edge. For just beyond stand three absolutely gorgeous puffins, and there’s no such thing as close enough….
Iceland’s Purple Fields
Before I landed in Iceland, I pictured a country of black rock interlaced with green moss, torn by blue-white glaciers and red lava fields. One colour that I wasn’t expecting to see was purple, in vibrant fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. This beautiful plant is Alaskan lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis) and, after driving…
San Francisco’s sea lions
My terrible sense of direction is a running family joke, so I thought it would be harder to find San Francisco’s famous sea lions. However, all I had to do was follow the overpoweringly musky, stagnant smell wafting through the air at Fisherman’s Wharf, until I reached Pier 39’s K Dock. As here I found…
This is not an egg
Somewhere out in the ocean, a turtle may be eating a breakfast that looks remarkably similar to your own. Presenting the Egg Yolk Jelly (Phacellophora camtschatica) – a jellyfish that looks like it would be more at home surrounded by baked beans and bacon. I came across this unexpected creature at the Monterey Bay Aquarium…