This week Egidio wants us to focus on the woods – and that suits me perfectly well. Hopefully you too! I walk in my forest every day, but maybe not every day in Madeira…
So, I will pick some lovely Madeira memories from June, that hopefully will add to the mystery of this green island.
The Laurissilva forest is a 20 million years old subtropical rainforest – a UNESCO world heritage,
covering about 20 % of the island. Most of the species here are endemic to Macronesia.
There are many interesting living beings in this forest woods – plants, mushrooms, lichen, birds and insects. Madeiran Chaffinches are spoiled with food from the hikers…
Madre de louro is a mushroom that grows on lager trees in Laurissilva. ”Madre de louro”, or ”Mother Laurel” is said to be good for the blood and work against rheumatism. It was even used as an insecticide.
There is something special about dense forests with high humidity. The scent, the quietness. And, I can hear the water as it trickles along the mossy stones. In Madeira the levadas add to this soothing sound – sometimes they are fast flowing, sometimes only a slow, hardly noticeable flow. And I know how good this is for my well being. Forest bathing in its true sense – and it’s no surprise that it’s origin is Japanese!
I have always loved hiking, and hopefully I will be able to keep it up even if it has become more difficult as I age. The best thing with hiking is the possibility of being alone in and with nature, for reflection and for restoring myself. Sometimes we meet a fellow hiker or two. We nod and say a soft ”hello” as we meet. I guess many of us feel the same about hiking, so talking is unnecessary.
We heard from someone in the city though, that since Covid, the levadas can even feel crowded in places…luckily we did not have to face that. This island is a hikers’ heaven and haven.
Thank you, Egidio for this beautiful challenge, and our guest host last week, Stupidity Hole, asked us to share quiet hours. You gave us more quiet times with your beautiful galleries. I hope you will join us again this week in forest bathing. Don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag when creating your post so we can easily find it in the Reader.
Next week, Tina will send us another challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history. Stay well.
Leya 
Still to go there, Ann-Christine, but you’ve given me one more reason to do so. Perfect photos for the challenge.
Thank you, Sofia! I do think you would love it!
Such a beautiful green place!
There’s such an air of mystery to these forests, Ann-Christine, and you capture it brilliantly xx
Ann-Christine, what a perfect place for forest bathing! The forest is so lush and green. I can relate to hiking less as I age. So glad you were able to get out and enjoy it.
I would never have guessed those photos were taken in Madeira – I didn’t know it had such special forests as these! A fantastic place to walk, I can tell 🙂
We missed seeing the forest on our one cruise stop in Madeira… but we did get to see the beautiful botanical garden. If we ever get there again, we’ll have to check it out.
Wonderful post and images, Ann-Christine!
What a gorgeous forest Ann-Christine, thank you for letting us walk along! 🌿💚🍃 xxx
I really like the photo of the little bird. The bokeh is beautiful.
What a beautiful response to the challenge. And what very special woodland.
You have caught the scent of a rainforest: the old growth, the sheer exuberance. Beautiful photos
That’s some rich beauty there
What a beautiful forest and tour, especially the mother laurel.
Oh my what an amazing place AC and you have captured its beauty so well. I cannot imagine 20 million years. Thank goodness it is now a world heritage site.
Oh my goodness Ann-Christine, that looks just amazing. One can feel the density of the forest, the cool, calm the would settle over one while walking through. The images are magical as I’m sure the forest must be. Thank you for taking us there.
Thank you for walking with me, Tina!
Wow what captures! I could feel the joy with nature and the memories that come with it. You are really a storyteller through your photos!
Why thank you so much, Teresa! Happy to share.
Ann-Christine, what a perfect choice for the challenge! The Laurissilva forest is a dream. All the lush greens and animals and the scents you mentioned are everything one needs. I’m happy you mentioned quiet hikers. Talking is really unnecessary when one wants to enjoy the peace and quiet all around us. Beautiful images!
Thank you, Egidio. A fantastic challenge!