Page 5 - Demo

March 2026 | Gazette Life | 5THE EMERALD ISLEAn astonishing satellite photo taken in late January shows how the winter rains and sunshine have turned Lanzarote into a temporary oasis, transforming the usually drab brown island into a brilliant green jewel.The photo, taken by the EU%u2019s Copernicus satellite, clearly shows how the higherlying areas of the island have burst into life, with the slopes and ravines leading eastwards from the Famara cliffs turning a deep, vivid green. The area south of the ridge of ancient volcanoes that leads from Fem%u00e9s to San Bartolom%u00e9 is also verdant, with plants making the most of the run-off of rain and the shelter from the northern wind. The volcanoes themselves resemble a string of emeralds, each with plant life thriving in the sheltered, fertile volcanic craters. Certain areas, however, remain unchanged. 300 years after the main eruptions, plant life remains scarce in the cloak of black lava covering the Timanfaya region. The largest crater on the island, at Caldera Blanca, is a brilliant green and the %u201cislotes%u201d (areas where lava did not reach) are also dusted with greenery. Lanzarote%u2019s desert region south of Famara GAZETTE | NEWSand Soo, known as El Jable, also appears unchanged from space, although a closer visit at ground level will show that the tough plants and wildlife there are making the most of the moisture.The southern tip of the island also remains light brown, surrounded by the inhospitable terrain of the Los Ajaches wilderness and the desolate zone north of Monta%u00f1a Roja. Towns and larger villages can clearly be picked out, With Teguise, Tahiche, T%u00edas and San Bartolom%u00e9 white islands surrounded by meadows and fields, while the built-up region stretching from Puerto del Carmen to Costa Teguise, where most of the island%u2019s population live, is also perfectly visible.Lanzarote%u2019s wild plants are incredible opportunists and make the most of any rainfall. For that reason, many have a fairly short lifespan %u2013 germinating, blooming and spreading their seeds in a brief burst of glory before the dry, hot summer months force them back into dormancy. So now%u2019s the time to make the most of the island as it wears its green robe. It may look spectacular from space, but a closer visit, accompanied by the smell of greenery and damp earth, the buzzing of insects and the delicate, fleeting beauty of yellow, purple, red, blue and white wildflowers, is an opportunity any lover of the island should not miss.