Poppies

La Palma has lots and lots of wildflowers at this time of year. We even have five different poppies on La Palma.

Papaver rhoeas, the red poppy, with a  bee
Papaver rhoeas, the red poppy, photographed in Garafía

The Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, or Red Poppy is easily the commonest. This is the poppy that mostly grows wild in fields.

Eschscholzia Californica, the California Poppy, photographed in El Paso
Eschscholzia Californica, the California Poppy, photographed in El Paso

The next commonest comes from California, which has a similar climate.

Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy, photographed in Garafía
Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy, photographed in Garafía

And then there’s the opium poppies, which are presumably garden escapes.

The thorn poppy or Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana, photographed in Los Cancajos, Breña Baja
The thorn poppy or Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana, photographed in Los Cancajos, Breña Baja

And finally the prickly yellow poppies, which are an invasive species that come from Mexico. These aren’t nearly as easy to find.

 

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.

This article has 4 Comments

  1. The bumblebee in the first photo is a Canary Island endemic: Bombus canariensis: The only bumble native to the islands.

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