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Flowering plants vary enormously, ranging from dense, prickly ‘pin-cushion’ socarrells, which sprout tiny flowers, to cistus, rock-rose and capers, which produce extensive displays in spring and early summer. Aromatic rosemary and lavender are common, along with plants having herbal or medicinal uses, such as camomile. On barren rock, plants are often inconspicuous, cowering in cracks to exploit shade and moisture. Amaryllis and asphodels thrive in rocky, barren places.

Clockwise from left: Asphodels grow profusely in old abandoned fields all over Menorca; rock-roses often grow among pines; juniper berries are used to flavour Menorcan gin, but not the ones growing on the island.

In wetland areas and meadows plants compete vigorously, while saltmarsh species cope with high salt levels. Some open hillsides, and also sunny spots inside woods and forests, may be covered with tall pampas-like grass, best referred to by its Menorquí name of càrritx. Spring is the best time to see flowering plants at their best. In high summer the landscape looks parched, and only in late autumn or winter does it turn green once again, ready for the next display of springtime colours.