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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 APRIL 2022 11 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 808. Greater Snapdragon IT'S hard to miss at this time of year. Growing proud and erect on several bright green stalks and flaunting masses of eye-catching flowers of deep pink, it's easy to mistake for some rare and expensive horticultural creation. But then you notice it growing from rubble walls and cracks in the pavement, and you realise it's just anoth- er wild flower, if one of exquisite beauty. The greater snapdragon (M. papoċċi ħamra) is a common spring-flowering shrub that makes these strange slipper-shaped flowers with a special petal in the shape of a lip. Much to my childhood delight, that lip can be made to snap open and shut, with promise of sweet nectar inside – a job for the bulkier bees. Wait for the surprisingly skull-like seed cases to ripen, sprinkle a handful of its minuscule seeds and start your own flow- erpot population! Victor Falzon www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 696: Read our article about climate and mobility www.foe- malta.org/climate-mobility A fossil-free vision for Malta The climate crisis is here, now. Climate change is already af- fecting those most vulnerable and we are not currently prepared to adapt to a changing climate. A sense of urgency is not being felt. In our latest article, our climate campaigner Suzanne Maas explains what a fossil-free Malta would look like and what needs to be done to achieve this. We are all aware that Malta needs to prioritise clean energy and sustainable mobility as our climate is changing rapidly. So, now is the time to invest in a fossil-free future by implementing Malta's Climate Action Act and to re- claim our public roads and spaces. For clean, healthy and effi- cient modes of transport, to contribute to meeting our climate, air quality and health objectives! Are you interested in climate and mobility? Read more examples of how to achieve a fossil-free Malta on our website! Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/donate Don't miss this Pope's visit: Holy Mass Start date: 3 April Place: Granaries in Floriana Pope Francis will be celebrating mass on the Granaries in Floriana on Sunday 3 April at 10:15am. The Pope was due to come to Malta two years ago, but the visit had to be postponed because of the pandemic. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Gold & Light Start date: 8 April Place: Victory Square, Naxxar A night with international sensation Jose Carlos Gòmez and his quartet, with Spanish tapas in the magnificent ballroom. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Beat-Herder Festival is set to return later this year following a two-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nile Rogers & CHIC will headline the main stage at the festival in Lancashire, which runs from 14-17 July. The Wanted star Tom Parker has died at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, the British boy band have announced. The singer told fans in October 2020 that he had an inoperable tumour. Co-founder Nick Chambers said postponing the Ribble Valley event for two years had been "heartbreaking". His wife Kelsey Hardwick wrote on Instagram: "Our hearts are broken." The pair had two young children together