Cork Oak at Biniedris

Quercus suber, commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.

It grows to up to 20 m (66 ft), although it is typically more stunted in its native environment. The leaves are 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) long, weakly lobed or coarsely toothed, dark green above, paler beneath, with the leaf margins often downcurved. The acorns are 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.2 in) long, in a deep cup fringed with elongated scales.
 
Cork oaks can live 200 to 250 years, and are considered to be soil builders and their fruits have been shown to have useful insecticidal properties.

Biniedris: Horticultural and livestock farm

Cami de Cavalls. Canutells -Calas Coves-Calan Porter

 

The weather is so weird lately that species that should bloom in April are now blooming in January.

Apple of Sodom is a roundish, perennial shrub to 2 m high, with very spiny and hairy stems and leaves. The yellowish spines are coarse, up to 15 mm long and the hairs are of two types, some star-shaped and some gland-tipped. The leaves are 4-15 cm long and deeply lobed, the lobes rounded and often with wavy or further indented margins. The flowers are pale purple with bright yellow anthers and in a short spray. Each star shaped flower is 1.5-3 cm across with 5 petals and a hairy and prickly calyx. The berries are yellow or mottled eventually turning brown to black and are succulent, globular and 2-3.5 cm across.

 
Native to northern and southern Africa and the Mediterranean, it is now a serious weed of roadsides, creeklines, wasteland and disturbed woodlands. Apple of Sodom is a declared weed in several countries. It flowers from January to May or August to October and the berries are toxic.

Binicalaf Nou

Pancho, posing as a top dog model in the middle of the hike.

Calm sea

 

...at Fornells harbour.

Taula de Binissafullet.

A taula (meaning 'table' in catalan language) is a T-shaped stone monument which are exclusive to Menorca. 

Taulas can be up to 3.7 metres high and consist of a vertical pillar (a monolith or several smaller stones on top of each other) with a horizontal stone lying on it. A U-shaped wall often encloses the structure.
They were built by the Talaiotic Culture between 1000 BC and 300 BC.

Their exact cultural meaning remains unknown, but they probably had religious and/or astronomical purposes. Most of the taulas face south, which seems to suggest some astronomical meaning. Archeologist Michael Hoskin has suggested the taulas may have been part of an ancient healing cult. 

There is great controversy among experts who do not agree about its function,or even in the number of such monuments there is in Menorca, since only a few vestiges remain of some of them.

There is no doubt about the taula at Binissafullet if it is not one of the greatest, it is certainly well restored and preserved.

Omphalotus olearius

 

 

Omphalotus olearius, commonly known as the jack-o'-lantern mushroom, is a poisonous orange gilled mushroom that to an untrained eye appears similar to some chanterelles. It is notable for its bioluminiscent properties. It is found in woodland areas in Europe, where it grows on decaying stumps, buried roots or at the base of hardwood trees.