Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/634260
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 JANUARY 2016 39 This Week Untitled-1 1 28/01/2016 11:27 AM An essential companion on your walks to the country MARK BORG takes Edwin Lanfranco and Guido Bonett's Wild Flowers of the Maltese Islands for a spin around the relevant landscapes the recently published guidebook covers THE test of a guidebook is to actu- ally take it with you on walks and see how it performs, and so I took a trip down to a valley close to home and tested it out. As far as I'm con- cerned it passed the test with fly- ing colours. At the moment it is a good time to do flower-spotting, as there are quite a few wild plants blooming in the countryside. But of course, the peak is still coming, with Spring quickly approaching, when most of our plants actually flower. Personally I can't wait to put on my hiking boots and with this guide in hand and my camera slung around my neck start my country walks hoping to spot some of the rarer species. What's great The book is written by Edwin Lanfranco, the renowned and un- doubtedly the best botanist we have on the Islands. Although the book does not cover all the known spe- cies of plants in Malta – as it would probably take a much thicker book to do so – it does cover most, if not all, the plants one is most likely to encounter, even many of the rarer species. For each species one will find its scientific name, its common names, both in English and Mal- tese, the habitat type it prefers and its flowering months. There is also a short comment on the distin- guishing features of the plant par- ticularly related to size and varie- ties. In the text provided one also learns whether the plant was in- troduced to the islands, or whether it is native of even endemic, that is found only on the Maltese islands. The guide also indicates whether the particular plant is common, scarce or one of the rarer species. An extremely useful and inno- vative feature of this guidebook is that the plants are categorized by the colour of their flowers. The edges of the pages are coloured grey (for the white flowers), yellow, red, violet or green. Guido Bonett provided the photographs for the volume, and his photos have illus- trated a number of books about the Maltese natural environment. The quality and selection of the photos used in this guide is such that one can immediately recognize a flow- er by the photograph provided. You see a flower and kaboom – a couple of minutes later you know all you need to know about it. What could be better There were only two improve- ments I could suggest for consid- eration for a next edition. The first would be in regard to its format. In its current format it is slightly too big to fit nicely in a jacket's side pocket. The second would be to provide examples of sites in Malta where some of these flowers grow, particularly the rarer species. Per- sonally I would find this informa- tion more useful in a local guide- book than their range in the world, which the book provides. All in all, a great addition to any- one's library and an essential com- panion during walks in our coun- tryside. Published by BDL, the guide is priced at €15 and can be obtained from all major booksellers The Fan-Lipped Orchid flowers in January and February Carnival 2016 events announced Earlier this week, the Culture Ministry, together with Arts Council Malta and the Carnival Artistic Director, announced the programme for Carnival 2016 Thursday February 4, 18:00 Opening Ceremony of Malta Carnival 2016 activities at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta. Friday February 5, 17:30 Costume Parade along Republic Street, Valletta followed by Dancing Competitons in St George's Square and carnival défilé consisting of the King Carnival float, Valletta 18 float, satiric floats and Section A Companies in Costumes on Floats. Saturday February 6, 09:30 Children's Carnival at St. George's Square, Valletta. Saturday February 6, 17:30 Dancing Competition together with the Grand Défilé performance at St George's Square, Valletta. Various activities will be held in Valletta throughout the day including the Qarcilla representation in St John's Square, Valletta. Sunday February 7, 10:00 Carnival Band Parade in High Street, Hamrun. Sunday February 7, 13:00 Carnival Floats Parade at Castille Place, Valletta. Parade will proceed along Merchants Street to St. George's Square and then along Republic Street. Sunday February 7, 15:00 Special Sunday afternoon Carnival Grand Show at St. George's Square, Valletta. Monday February 8, 10:00 Dancing Schools Carnival Parade followed by a Dancing Show at St George's Square, Valletta. Monday February 8, 16:00 Dancing Competion Programme followed by the Grand Défilé at St George's Square, Valletta. Tuesday February 9, 10:00 Dancing Schools Carnival Parade followed by a Dancing Show at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta. Tuesday February 9, 18.00 Grand Finale in St Anne's Street with the participation of Carnival Bands, floats and general merriment. Tickets for the St George's Square event: www.ticketline.com.mt