Water, water, Almighty! Where is that rain water? They say, in numerous books, that "mediterranean" applies to a climate typified by long, hot and dry summers and mild, wet winters. They also say that mediterranean plants are adapted to cope with the drought and heat of summer and to make the most of the mild winters. What they don’t say (and what, unfortunately, I’m experiencing) is the fact that the environment to which mediterranean plants are adapted to does not exist any more. Thousands of years of human colonization and land use have severely modified the landscape so that almost no natural vegetation survives without human care. Without people the Mediterranean would still be largely wooded. As it is, only patches of natural forest survive today and instead we find a mosaic of open habitats which become increasingly barren over time. And I believe that nowadays soil can’t sustain rain water when it receives it, it’s runoff water to the sea. The same with the plants watering.
I can’t water my plants enough. And when I water them early in the morning, all living creatures gather around me: insects, birds, lizards, even rats and snakes, all of them after water only, not being concerned with other species. Below is a praying mantis enjoying the water spray. The rollover image shows how quickly fade our datura bushes, in spite of daily watering.
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Krešimir J. Adamić
