Pico Ruívo trig point lit by the waxing crescent moon

Pico Ruívo trig point (1862 meters above sea level), lit by the waxing crescent Moon, and Milky Way, yesterday around 1930 LT.

Picture taken, as usual, with Nikon D610 and Vivitar 24mm f/2.8. Manfrotto tripod and ballhead.

Milky Way above Pico Ruívo Hut

 

The Milky Way and meteor traces, photographed, a couple of nights ago, on the Pico Ruívo mountain hut.

Jupiter and Saturn in conjunction

In this photo, framed to NW, taken yesterday, on a moonless night, near Encumeada Alta, we can see simultaneously the Milky Way and Jupiter and Saturn nearly in conjunction above the highest peak in Madeira island, Pico Ruívo.

The conjunction of these two planets happens once every twenty years. However astronomers say that the present one will be the closest one since 1623 and the closest observable since 1226. So we are in the presence of a major astronomical event.

If you have some evening time to spare during these upcoming days, pick up a telescope or a spyglass (if you possess neither, a pair of binoculars will do), dress warm, fill up a thermos with hot tea or coffee and head on to the highest spot above sea level available nearby. Seat down, relax and wait for the night sky to appear and work its magic.

The most dramatic moment of this conjunction, according to the calculations, will happen on the coming 21st of December (the Winter Solstice), when both planets will be only 0.1 degree apart.

It surely will be a sight worth seeing.

Nikon D610 and cheap manual-focus Vivitar 24mm f/2.8 AI lens, open at f/4. Manfrotto tripod and ballhead. 

Pico do Arieiro and Pico das Torres

 

Pico do Arieiro radar station with Pico das Torres on the foreground, as seen from the Pico Ruívo trail, yesterday, around 1900.

Picture taken with Nikon D610 and Nikkor 200mm f4 AI-s lens. Manfrotto tripod and ballhead.

Moonshine

Pico Ruivo mountain hut lit by the moonlight, yesterday around 7 PM. These past days have been an absolute heaven during night time on the high peaks of Madeira. Clear blue skies above cloud line, no wind and intense light from the Earth's satellite, all combining to give the landscape an otherworldy atmosphere.

Picture taken with Nikon D610 and cheap Vivitar 24mm f2.8 manual focus lens. Manfrotto tripod and ballhead. ISO 3200 f/4 20"

Tree heather and the Seven Sisters

The Pleiades Star Cluster rises high above the Encumeada Alta ridge; both framed by an old, burnt, tree heather on the foreground, lit by the waxing crescent moon. Yesterday, around 8 PM.

Picture taken with Nikon D610 and cheap Vivitar 24mm f2.8 manual focus lens. Manfrotto tripod and ballhead. ISO 3200 f/4 30"

The best prevention for the COVID-19...

... is staying well above the clouds.

Pico Ruívo mountain hut at late afternoon light, photographed, a few days ago, with a simple Huawei P 20 Lite.

The Pride Of Madeira at evening time

The uninformed tourist usually associates Madeira with the localy cultivated Strelitzias or Birds Of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae), just because, due to its obvious beauty and visual impact, it's the flower most commonly seen in markets, shops or touristic events. However, in good truth, this plant was never endemic to Madeira, originating from South Africa and nowadays with a global distribution in nearly every warm and sunny temperated and tropical climates.
Therefore, if we would be asked to name a flower that truly represents the beauty and diversity of Madeira's flora, I'd say that the Pride of Madeira (or Massaroco, as locally known) would come to mind.
A true native to the island of Madeira, the Echium candicans is as beautiful as a wild plant can be and  it is a true delight to see alongside the roads in some urban areas or along the trails on the mountainous regions. Blooming happens between late Spring and early Summer and by the end of July most of their beauty is already gone, vanishing into dryness until the next year. Meanwhile, before that fading moment happens, its ephemeral flowering phase is a pleasure to our eyes and to bees as well, considering the abnormal attention these little bugs give to this particular plant on the course of their pollination duties.
Picture taken near Encumeada Alta, returning from the usual Pico Ruívo hike, at sunset time.
Nikon D300 and Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC HSM. Manfrotto XDB190 tripod and 490RC4 ball head. Flash Godox TT685N.

Santana in a Summer evening

The city of Santana, on the Northern coast of Madeira, always exerted an irresistible enchantement over me. Over the years I lost count to the hundreds of visits made to this charmingly luxurious small town, starting point for so many hikes along the Laurissilva forest and on the high peaks. The reason for that effect is beyond my understanding. Could be because of its obstinate nature, being born and built on the rough northern coast, fustigated by countless storms over the centuries, thus giving it a tough charisma. But also because of its melancholic and peaceful mood on the late Spring and Summer evenings, reminding us that the natural world is in perpetual motion. And no storm ever lasts. And all that enclosed by an eternal greenish landscape, in a strong contrast with the common pastel tones of the southern slopes. And, seriously, who, amongst you, doens't like the green colour in nature?

Nikon D300 and Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC HSM. Manfrotto XDB190 tripod and 490RC4 ball head.

Flower of the season - The Common Foxglove

The Digitalis purpurea is a common presence in Madeira, during Spring and Summer seasons, blooming in the laurel forest and also in the mountains, particularly near springs or in ground areas with high percentage of water.

In spite of its beauty, this plant is highly poisonous to humans, if ingested.

However, its toxins, digitoxin and digoxin, properly processed are used as medication for heart failure for more than two centuries.

Nikon D300, Sigma 300mm f2.8, Manfrotto tripod and ball-head

Sunset over Pico das Torres

Yesterday's sunset over the second highest peak of Madeira: Pico das Torres (1851 mts above sea level). On the background, looking so close due to a highly compressed telephoto framing, stands the third highest: Pico do Arieiro, with its military radar.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR, Manfrotto tripod and ball-head

An invulgar point of view

Several years ago I've made a solo hike, on a  May's late afternoon, to Pico Grande (1654mts). Right below the peak there's a grassy small high plateau where you can drop your pack for awhile and just enjoy a moment of peacefulness.

Here, on clear, cloudless days, we also have a breathtaking and not-so-common vista of Madeira's central massif.

On the horizon, along the ridge line, we can see, from left to right, Pico Ruívo, the needles of Pico das Torres and Pico do Arieiro, with its Portuguese Air Force radar dome.

On the lower left of the picture it's visible, near the shadow line, the suspended valley of Curral Jangão, rewarding us, depending of the season, with its wild chestnut and cherry trees if we fancy a hike down there.

Picture taken with Nikon P7100 and post-processing in Nikon View and Adobe Photoshop CS6.

First Summer evening

The Summer Solstice happened in Portugal on the past Saturday, around 2244 LT. Marking the longest daytime of the year, short of fifteen hours by less than six minutes, this auspicious date encloses in itself the nostalgic sentiment that, from now on, we are heading, on the Northern Hemisphere, inexorably towards the Winter season, with the day length decreasing at a steady pace up to the next Winter Solstice, on the 21st of December.

Up here, surrounded by the warmth and peace of the late afternoon breeze, among the highest peaks of Madeira, we feel the solitude of a telluric connection to the Earth as if we were in Stonehenge.

For me the monolithic presence of the distant peaks and the green meadow on the foreground is as close as I can imagine my own very personal druidic temple.

Nikon D300, with the usual 18-55mm kit lens. Manfrotto tripod and Junior Geared Head.

After the storm...

...comes a calm.

After clearing the stormy skies of these past couple of days, a rainbow appears on the late evening over the Pico Ruívo Trig Point. A strong reminder of nature's endless capacity for rejuvenation and restoration of equilibrium. Likewise, during my past seafaring life, I've seen countless tempestuous days evolving into the most peaceful ones. In these present days, during which both our common human destiny and willpower are, somehow, being put to the test it would do us good to remember that it's scientifically proven that all the storms, past or future, eventually end someday.

Picture taken with Nikon D610 and old sixty bucks second-hand Vivitar manual focus 24mm f.2.8. Post-processing (if we can call it that) in Photoshop CS6.

Spring in Madeira

Canary island geraniums and ferns near Pico das Pedras, on the Northern coast of Madeira. Late evening of a rainy June day.

Picture taken with Nikon D300 and Nikkor DX 18-55mm AF-S G VR kit lens. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Spring in Serra da Estrela

Amanita muscaria mushroom and silver birches grove in Covão da Ametade, Serra da Estrela. Mid-Spring of 2015.

As dangerous as it is beautiful, it's probably one of the most famous mushrooms in the world, often depicted in works of art, from literature, to painting, to cinema (Disney's Fantasia). The ingestion of the Amanita muscaria, often mistaken for the edible Amanita caesarea, generates hallucionogenic experiences and, in extreme dosis, death may occur.

In Portugal their fruiting happens in Spring and Autumn seasons.

Picture taken with Nikon Coolpix 7100 and post-processed in Adobe Photoshop CS6

Fanal - The pristine nature

Some years ago, motivated by a off-duty morning that was promising to be another waiste of precious and useful time if I stayed at home, I drove to the high plateau of Paúl da Serra, with the Fanal Laurissilva rain forest as the final destination.

Approaching this pristine parcel of nature for the first time was indeed a surprise, especially driving along the recently-built ER 209 (Regional Road 209). This strip of tarmac snaking along the primitive forest, particularly the length between Paúl da Serra and Ribeira da Janela, is also a delight to ride if you are a biker:

Nearby, and in a mostly paralell track alongside the ER 209, the PR 13 hiking route is a charming and easy-going trail, suitable for all of those who want to have an  all-around introduction to the Madeira pedestrian nature tourism with the least phisical effort. Just make sure, in advance, that the weather is clear. Most of the times it isn't. Fanal is well known for its foggy weather:

Albeit being a well preserved natural landscape, the Fanal forest also has its share of human presence. Althought not as intensive as decades ago, the pecuary activity still survives in this corner of the Madeiran territory. Shepherd's shelters are common as is livestock alongside the road. All this adds to the enchantment of the place. Just drive safely and slowly, avoiding stressing the animals:

Pictures taken with Nikon Coolpix P7100. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.