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The Wild Asparagus Hunters are Out and About

It´s that time of year. Cars parked in odd places, the solitary person - usually a man, popping up above a bank or from behind an olive tree. The hunters of the wild aparagus are here. The plentiful rain scattered with a day or two of sunshine has brought them out in droves. Some have their route, others instinctively know where to go. They appear, walking back to their cars, with a huge bundle of foot long green spears of asparagus. And off they go, probably not to be seen for another year - or another week if the rain continues. No matter how hard the shoots try and hide the older men hunt them down with stick in hand, to fob off the spiky old growth, and uncover the tender new stems of wild asparagus. Everyone has their favourite way of cooking them but the most common seems to be in a Tortilla - the thick Spanish potato omelette to which you can add anything that comes to hand - or is hunted down. My one or two shorter stem finds don´t come close to the experienced hunters catch. I...

Natural Monuments in Andalucia

At the end of 201 The Andalucian government has increased its natural monuments by nine taking the total to 49 protected spots. These can be peñas - hills, fuentes, meandros and riberas - river sources, meanders and banks, tajos - cliffs, and cuevas -caves, all of which are protected and signposted.

The nine new monuments, five are in Malaga province:

Tajos del Alcazar, Alcaucin
Cueva del Gaton Benaojan
Cuenca del Rio Turon viewpoint, El Burgo
Source of the River Genal, Igualeja
Source of the River Guadalhorce - Fuente de los Cien Caños, Villanueva del Trabuco.

Four in other provinces:

La Peña de Arcos de la Frontera, Cadiz
El Meandro del Guadalquivir, Montoro, Cordoba
Los Tajos, Alhama de Granada
Ribera del Guadaira, Alcala de Guadaira, Sevilla

The new status gives extra protection for natural features like dunas -dunes, islotes - small islands and centuries-old trees like the Natural Monument de Queijigo in Jaén.

To become a ´natural monument´ they must be well-preserved, accessible to the public, recognized as special by local citizens and have be protected.

So now there are even more places to explore!

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