GARDEN NEWS
02 October 2011
GARDEN HOSTS BIRDWATCH EVENT
Ornithological rarity recorded in Alameda
The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens once again provided the venue for the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society's (GONHS) European Birdwatch, which the Society organises annually as the Gibraltar Partner of BirdLife International.
A good number of members of the public, including children, attended the event held on Saturday morning, 1st October.
Bird ringing was very successful this year and, apart from the usual resident birds and a sprinkling of migrants, there was a new species for the gardens, a Little Bunting. This was the same bird ringed a few days earlier at Jews' Gate on the Upper Rock, and the first recorded in Gibraltar. It is a species of the far north of Europe and Asia, normally wintering in India and similar latitudes in Asia, This new species brings the Garden's bird list to 83 species.
There was also a display of birds of prey run by the GONHS Raptor Rehabilitation Unit.
Full details of the event are given on the GONHS website.
13 September 2011
CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND
The Children’s playground in the lower section of the Gardens, opposite Red Sands Estate, has been fully refurbished by the Bonita Trust and supplied with exciting new features. The playground is not managed by the Gardens (although we do keep an eye on its planted areas), but is now open. Any enquiries should be addressed to the Sports & Leisure Authority Tel. 20078409.
3 September 2011
TRIBUTE BAND RETURNS
Progress - a tribute band celebrating Take That and Westlife will be returning to the Open Air Theatre b y popular request.
The performance on 19th August was an outstanding success, and the boys will be back on Friday 23rd September. The performance starts at 9pm.
Progress is a newly formed tribute act that pays homage to two of the biggest pop bands of the last 20 years... TAKE THAT and WESTLIFE.
With professional choreography throughout and more than 65 shows under their belts, the four band members have been playing to packed venues up and down the Costa del Sol. With the classic hits of past and present all combined in this fantastic show, it really is an event not to be missed.
The four band members are:
Sean, from Blackpool, has a Degree in performing arts. He is an all round entertainer, compere, dancer and singer who has worked all over the UK, Tenerife and Salou.
Andy is from Australia. He has been singing from a very early age and after arriving in Britain has followed his dream and joined a Boyband.
Ryan is the group’s lead singer and an expert in musical theatre, having trained with RADA and has also sung, danced, acted and performed from a very early age, including television and stage work.
Sam, from Wolverhampton, is the baby of the group and street dancer extraordinaire. He has been dancing since the age of 9 and lives his life for no other reason than to dance.
The evening will once again be a hugely entertaining one at the Alameda Open Air Theatre. Tickets are already on sale at the Nature Shop in Casemates.
All proceeds are for further improvements to everyone’s favourite Theatre, which has been a stage and for so many of Gibraltar’s young performers for sixteen seasons.
Tickets are on sale from The Nature Shop in casemates Square (Tel 0035020041708) and at The Ship in Marina Bay.
20 August 2011
KINGFISHERS RETURN
A Kingfisher has been seen all week at the Open Air Theatre pond. These colourful birds had been a feature of the Gardens some years ago, turning up after the nesting season, from about August, and staying on until February when they departed to nest further north. However, for several years none had been seen.
It is possible that improvements to systems of pond maintenance, resulting in clearer water, has contributed to their return.
These small, turquoise and orange gems were once a feature of the gardens as they dashed at great speed along the paths between the ponds in the Theatre, Dell and Main Walk, and it is hoped they will be again.
It is likely that in the Gardens they are feeding largely on mosquito fish and tadpoles. Kingfishers will feed along the seashore, so most likely the birds seen in the Gardens will also fly down to the shoreline, with the sea only just over 300m away - as the Kingfisher flies.
31 July 2011
BAND TRIBUTE NIGHT IN THE OPEN AIR
fundraising event for Alameda Open Air Theatre
PROGRESS – a celebration of Take That and Westlife, will feature at the popular Alameda Open Air Theatre on Friday 19th August at 9pm. This will be the Theatre’s first ever Tribute Night and is the first of two events planned this summer to raise funds for improving the facilities and equipment at the venue.
Progress is a newly formed tribute act that pays homage to two of the biggest pop bands of the last 20 years... TAKE THAT and WESTLIFE.
With professional choreography throughout and more than 65 shows under their belts, the four band members have been playing to packed venues up and down the Costa del Sol. With the classic hits of past and present all combined in this fantastic show, it really is an event not to be missed.
The four band members are:
Sean, from Blackpool, has a Degree in performing arts. He is an all round entertainer, compere, dancer and singer who has worked all over the UK, Tenerife and Salou.
Andy is from Australia. He has been singing from a very early age and after arriving in Britain has followed his dream and joined a Boyband.
Ryan is the group’s lead singer and an expert in musical theatre, having trained with RADA and has also sung, danced, acted and performed from a very early age, including television and stage work.
Sam, from Wolverhampton, is the baby of the group and street dancer extraordinaire. He has been dancing since the age of 9 and lives his life for no other reason than to dance.
The evening of 19th August promises to be a hugely entertaining one at the Alameda Open Air Theatre. Tickets are already on sale at the Nature Shop in Casemates.
All proceeds are for further improvements to everyone’s favourite Theatre, which has been a stage and for so many of Gibraltar’s young performers for sixteen seasons.
Details of a further event will be announced very shortly.
29 June 2011
New Rockery adds Plants and Habitats
The latest development in the displays at the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens at the Alameda, is the Rockery, set in the southern part of the gardens, close to the Sandpits area, above the Wellington Memorial. Several years in the planning, but only a few months old, it is already one of the most attractive, and botanically interesting parts of the Alameda Gardens.
The rockery, inspired by the rockeries of the Royal Botanic Gardens both at Edinburgh and Kew, has been constructed by the staff of Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd, the Garden’s managing company. It represents a number of different habitats present in the region.
The upper section, which is constructed of Gibraltar Limestone, represents our special unique flora, with species growing there including Gibraltar Campion, Gibraltar Candytuft and Gibraltar Chickweed.
The middle sections, with other limestones and sandstones, brought in specially from Spain, represents the flora of similar habitat in the surrounding area of Andalucia, allowing this to be compared and contrasted with Gibraltar’s, and highlighting the uniqueness of ours. Here there is a selection of rock roses and heathers, together with many other species, most of which do not grow wild on the Rock.
The lower section represents a sandy beach habitat, with sand brought from Gibraltar’s east side. Here are planted a wide variety of plant species of sandy habitat, both native and from other parts of the Mediterranean.
The area includes a number of headstones and a tomb, dating from the 1800s, carefully restored by Gil Podesta.
Some of the plants have been acquired from nurseries in Spain that specialise in native plants, including the Vivero de Alcaidesa, run by the Delegacion Provincial de Medio Ambiente of the Junta de Andalucia, which has for many years co-operated with the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens and has donated some of the plants.
Many of the plants, however, have been propagated from seed in the Garden’s Plant Nursery. Some of these are now flowering, including the Sand Stock and the Yellow Horned Poppy. These species are flowering now in the Alameda for the first time possibly in over a hundred years. This is because this seaside plant may well have grown wild on the red sands when these formed the shoreline of this part of Gibraltar, before the dockyard area and associated walls were built.
The rockery is not fully completed yet. A waterfall will soon be incorporated, and there will be more plants added in the autumn. However, at only four months old, it has surpassed all expectations in its success, and is well worth a visit by anyone interested in local flora.
26 June 2011
MISS GIBRALTAR 2011 PAGEANT DESCRIBED AS
‘BEST EVER’
Jamie Archer premiers new number on Alameda Stage
Photo C DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)
The Miss Gibraltar Pageant 2011, organized by Santos Productions for the Ministry of Culture, has been described by the media as the ‘best ever’ following its staging at the Alameda Open Air Theatre in the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens on 25th June.
Ten contestants took part, with Michelle Gillingwater-Pederson taking the title. Her mother, Louise, who was in the audience, was a previous Miss Gibraltar, in 1982.
Photo C DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)
The judges were Miss England 2008, Laura Coleman, and the current Mr England, Vaughan Bailey, Sky News at 10 presenter Stephen Dixon, and Modelling Agents Sissy Best and Aidan Jean Marie.
The show, directed by Christian Santos, was presented by Jonathan Scott and Paul Grant of GBC, while support acts in the production included Gibraltar-based Faster Than Magic, Showdance Company, Femme Force, the Gibraltar Academy of Dance, Michelle Daniels, and the Santos Productions Academy.
Faster Than Magic Photo C DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)
Former X-factor contestants provided the international dimension. Katie Waissel and Jamie Archer took the Theatre by storm, and the audience responded massively. Jamie sang his band’s new Single Insanity, for the first time ever in public – to tremendous response.
Katie Waissel Photo C DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)
Jamie Archer Photo C DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)
The retro set by Alfred Rumbo and Clive Yeo – who have worked regularly in the Alameda Theatre over the past ten years – worked well. The Theatre’s technical team, consisting of Danny Montovio, Mark Cortes and Michael Lopez was at hand. For the first time ever, the lighting design and operation was handled by the Open Air Theatre team, with lighting designer Mark Cortes, who like Christian Santos is a Graduate of Mountview Academy in London, achieving great continuity and some stunning effects. Sound was by SRS.
The Alameda Open Air Theatre has for over a decade been the adopted ‘home’ of the Miss Gibraltar pageant, having even produced a Miss World in Miss Gibraltar 2009, Kiane Aldorino. The Theatre remains the most popular summer venue in Gibraltar for stage productions, with users always made to feel welcome, and wanting to return.
Two plus one: Techies Danny Montovio and Mark Cortes
with Theatre and Gardens Director John Cortes in centre
A great deal of work goes into maintaining the Theatre, including not only its equipment but also the lawns and other planted areas, the ponds and its popular Koi Carp, and much more. All the personnel of the Botanic gardens, from plant propagators through gardeners and supervisors to management, contribute to the overall look of this spectacular venue. The reaction of the audience and media to this latest event prove that all the hard work is well worthwhile.
Photo C DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)
7 June 2011
REs Return
A team of Royal Engineers is in Gibraltar for several weeks carrying out work for the Community. For the first time in several years, this has included work in the Botanic Gardens.
A small team has assisted in the preparation of a new area for landscaping as the 'Atlantic Islands Bed'. Work is also ongoing in restoring the Queen Elizabeth gates, near the Eliott memorial, which were erected by the REs and bear the coat of arms of the Royal Engineers as well as the symbolic keys of Gibraltar.
Work in progress at the Queen Elizabeth Gates
31 May
Minister Congratulates Wildlife
The Minister for the Environment and Tourism, the Hon Ernest Britto, who has responsibility for the Botanic Gardens contract, has written to Dr John Cortes, Garden Director and Managing Director of the managing company, Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd, offering his congratulations on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the running of the Alameda Gardens.
In his letter, he states:
" I want to extend my warmest congratulations to you personally and also to the staff of Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the running of the Alameda gardfens.
"It is without doubt that the Gardens have seen great improvements during this time especially the creation of the Gibraltar Botanic gardens and the general beautification of the gardens which is in itself a very important attraction to many visiting tourists making a significant contribution to Gibraltar's tourist product.
"This Government is proud of having played a major role during its 16 year term in office in having provided the financial support and resources which has been vital for the Gardens to be the success they are today.
"Once again, my congratulations and I look forward to a prosperous 200th anniversary of the Alameda in 2016.
"Best regards
"Yours sincerely.
EM Britto
Minister for the Environment and Tourism"
22 May 2011
20 Years a Botanic Garden
The steps leading to the Eliott Monument in the 1800s
The Alameda Gardens were 195 years old in April 2011 and this month sees the 20th Anniversary of the commencement of the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens by Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd., under contract to the Government of Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens project commenced in 1991 following many years of abandonment, when the Government appointed 'Wildlife' to take over the gardens, restore them, and convert them into a botanic garden. At the helm of the project was Dr John Cortes, who was at the time General Manager of the Gibraltar Health Authority. Having worked in the GHA for some years improving the facilities and structures within the health service, Dr Cortes, a qualified biologist, felt it was time to tackle on another challenge in a field in which he had specifically trained. He has now been the Gardens' Director for a successful 20 years, over 10 per cent of the Gardens' history.
The condition of the Alameda Gardens at the time was appalling. It was full of litter, with many dead or dying plants, collapsed walls and damaged paths, and with no plant collection of any value. The Gardens were frequented by delinquents and avoided by the public, especially in the evenings. Among the facilities that had fallen into acute disrepair were the Miniature Golf Course and the Alameda Open Air Theatre, which had not been used for years.
The walk along Grand Parade in 1991
Initial works included fencing most of the perimeter and introducing an irrigation system, and gradually the appearance of the gardens improved, as did its plant collections. With time it became a venue for school visits and projects, the local public returned, and the Alameda once again began to attract the attention of visitors and, for the first time, of the scientific botanical community, becoming part of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, the Iberian-Macaronesian Association of Botanic Gardens, and developing links with other gardens and institutions, in particular the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
It has been a long, slow process, and much work remains to be done, but the achievements in this time have been substantial.
The Gardens are now known throughout the region and beyond. They are visited by locals and tourists alike. The collections of plants have been increased tremendously. There are now more species of plants being grown in the Gardens than at any time in its history, with approximately 1800 species, compared to about 220 in 1991. This includes many species of Aloes, other succulent species, and a large collection of plants from Gibraltar and the Mediterranean. Plant data are now held and managed in a digital database.
Part of the impressive succulent collection
Notable botanical and conservation achievements have included the discovery of new species, of animals as well as plants, and the rediscovery and successful cultivation of Gibraltar’s unique Campion Silene tomentosa, a species that would most likely now be extinct were it not for the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens. The Alameda now holds important collections on behalf of Kew and the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. It has assisted Kew in building up its Mediterranean collection and exhibits, with an increasing number of plants now planted out in Kew having been sourced through collaboration between the two entities, and many from Gibraltar itself. The Alameda now holds an extensive living collection of plants from the Mediterranean region, and is improving areas of the garden as habitat for wildlife, with notable successes in the establishment in the past few years of both Tawny Owls and Spotted Flycatchers as nesting species in Gibraltar. Its insistence on keeping the use of pesticides and herbicides to a minimum ensures a healthy wildlife at the gardens.
Throughout this time there has been a dynamic collaboration between the Gardens and GONHS (The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society), which has resulted in a great deal of conservation and scientific work, not least in respect of cataloguing invertebrate species, again leading to important discoveries. Work has extended beyond our borders too, notably into Spain and Morocco. More recently there has been collaboration on a joint herbarium project with the Gibraltar Museum.
The care afforded to plants has also improved, with recent great strides having been made in tree management and in propagation.
The Gardens have also converted the old miniature golf course into an animal conservation park, having rescued numbers of species, including monkeys and parrots, from the illegal pet trade, and now developing further into facilities for captive breeding and as a venue for educational work, with much already taking place.
An educational session in the Wildlife Park
In 1994 the Alameda Open Air Theatre was restored and quickly established as the most scenic and popular venue for stage productions in the summer, a status it retains to this day. The Theatre has seen numerous events, including regular stagings of the Miss Gibraltar Pageant and the crowning of a future Miss World, musicals such as Arrow – the Legend of Robin Hood, Jesus Christ Superstar and Oliver, and countless dance productions, beauty contests, concerts, weddings and receptions, and charitable events. In fact most of Gibraltar’s youth involved in the performing arts now have fond memories of the Alameda Open Air Theatre.
The Open Air Theatre ready for action
The Gardens pride themselves in their support of young people, and hundreds of school children have been guided through the Gardens and Animal Park as part of their schooling. Wildlife has since the outset been involved in providing opportunities for less able young people, in keeping with its philosophy of using the privilege of working on this site to provide more than what is required by its contract with Government.
One of the educational highlights in the broader sense was the publication some years ago of the book The Flowers of Gibraltar. Since then, articles and papers arising from work in the Gardens have appeared regularly in magazines and journals.
The staff of Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd, which back in 1991 consisted of just three people, now includes experienced home-trained gardeners, qualified horticulturists, one of the world’s foremost tree surgeons, craftsmen, a graduate in Theatre Technology, graduates and postgraduates in the Natural Sciences, members of professional institutes, and administrative personnel.
Craftsman Abdelhamid Zouin restoring a gun carriage
In addition, Wildlife (Gibraltar) has through the years provided technical advice to Government and other entities on ecological and landscaping matters. It has contributed to landscape design in Gibraltar in recent years, including, for example, the much applauded Trafalgar interchange, to the use of native species in landscaping and gardening, and to assessing and protecting trees throughout Gibraltar. Two years ago it acquired responsibility for the management of some aspects of the Upper Rock, which immediately resulted in the opening up and maintenance of the network of pathways, which were impassable until this time, and other work such as habitat management and the maintenance of Mediterranean Steps.
The management of the Gardens would like to publicly thank all those individuals and entities who, through the years, have contributed in any way to the successful development of the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens project.
There are many ideas still unfulfilled and many improvements still in mind, but Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd is very proud of the contribution it has made to the protection and enjoyment of plants and the natural environment over the past twenty years.
15 January 2011
New Beetle named after
Gibraltarian scientist
A new species of weevil has been described as Torneuma bensusani, with Gibraltar as its type locality. The weevil was described by Dr Peter Stüben of the Curculio Institute, the world authority on cryptorhynchine weevils of the Western Palaearctic, and named after Dr Keith Bensusan, a senior member of the Garden's scientific staff, responsible for Research & Collections, who is also head of the Invertebrate Section of the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS). It was published in 'Weevil News', a journal of the Curculio Institute. The article can be downloaded from: www.curci.de/news/news.php?btr=main.
Keith found the first specimen of the species in Gibraltar with his colleague Charlie Perez. He then found several more in Ceuta (North Africa) whilst searching for subterranean ants with Rhian Guillem, before Peter Stüben visited Gibraltar and found an additional specimen.
Peter Stüben had visited Gibraltar in August 2010 to sample some of the Rock's habitats for weevils. This he did with Keith, Charlie and their friend and colleague Pepe Torres from La Linea, who are members of the Curculio Institute. Part of the reason for Peter's visit had been to try and locate more specimens of the new species of weevil.
The finding of Torneuma bensusani from Gibraltar and Ceuta, at such a degree of geographical separation, is remarkable because the species is flightless, blind and subterranean! In Gibraltar, the species has been found to coexist with the apparently more numerous Torneuma baeticum, a species only known previously from a single specimen collected from Sierra Bermeja, near Estepona.
In 2011 the Curculio Institute will begin a Europe-wide 'Molecular Weevil Identification project' in an effort to build a molecular and image database for all species of weevils in Europe (some 2500 species). The project will include contributions of specimens from Gibraltar by Keith and Charlie of the GONHS Invertebrate Section. Anyone interested in the Curculio Institute and its work can find more details at: www.curci.de
Although one species of plant (Silene gazulensis) has in the past had a Gibraltarian as an Authority, this is thought to be the first time that a living species has been discovered and named after a Gibraltarian.
Torneuma bensusani, a new species from Gibraltar Peter Stüben
1 December 2010
John Lavranos adds to the garden's collection
Botanic Garden Director Dr John Cortes with John Lavranos in the Algarve, Portugal
The collection of plants held at the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens has been increased once again through a donation of material by John Lavranos, a plant expert of worldwide repute, considered one of the most prolific field workers on succulent plants of the 20th Century.
John Lavranos, who has visited Gibraltar on several occasions, is widely travelled in the warmer regions of the world from where he has built up an impressive knowledge of plants, notably succulents.
During a recent private visit to the Algarve in Portugal where John Lavranos is based, Botanic Garden Director John Cortes collected a number of rare and interesting species for the Alameda. These included plants from Madagascar, South Africa, and the Yemen, among which was a well grown specimen of Frankincense Boswellia sacra.
Further plants will be donated in the spring of 2011.
The Botanic Gardens are extremely grateful to John Lavranos for his support and the confidence he has shown in depositing these important specimens in Gibraltar.
29 November 2010
Kew magazine carries article on Gibraltar collaboration
The assistance given to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew by the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens is highlighted in an article in the latest edition of Kew Magazine. The article, by Tony Hall, who manages Kew’s Mediterranean garden, describes how he set about building up the collection of Mediterranean species, following his contact with Gibraltar’s Alameda Gardens.
Tony has been a regular visitor to Gibraltar over recent years, collecting seeds in Gibraltar and the surrounding area, and then taking them back to Kew where they have been propagated with tremendous success. Many plants currently on outdoor display at Kew are derived from Gibraltar seeds, and there are many more in the greenhouses waiting to be planted out.
The article is beautifully illustrated with photographs of plants growing both in the wild and in the Royal Botanic Gardens, while the headline photograph is one of the Rock of Gibraltar.
Kew Magazine is seen by plant experts and garden lovers around the world and so the article will give Gibraltar a great deal of international exposure.
Meanwhile, collaboration with Kew continues in different areas of botanical and conservation work.
26 November 2010
Red Palm Weevil:
Gibraltar Botanic Gardens places
preventionand treatment online
Anyone driving to or from Gibraltar via Campamento will have noticed the large number of palms that are dead or dying in that area or, more recently, in adjacent areas of La Linea. These casualties have been caused by the Red Palm Weevil, a beetle from tropical Asia that was introduced to Spain with imported Palms in the 1990s.
Gibraltar should remain vigilant for any palms showing signs of infection on the Rock, particularly those of us who have private gardens that include palm trees. People should also be aware that palms may be infected for a considerable period before symptoms manifest themselves, and that preventative measures may be the best solution for their palms.
The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens has placed information on its website that deals with identification of infected palms and methods of control (see: www.gibraltargardens.gi/RedPalmWeevil.php). Any further queries on the Red Palm Weevil can be sent to:
weevil_@_gibraltargardens.gi. Please write 'Red Palm Weevil' as the subject heading.
26 October 2010
Midterm at the
Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park
In this International Year of Biodiversity The Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park will be holding a number of workshops for children during next week’s midterm holiday.
These workshops will take place between 2pm and 4pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Monday’s workshop will be on ‘Utterly Otterly Fun’ and will involve finding out about otters, join in feeding and enrichment of the enclosure, and make an otter holt for a toy otter.
On Tuesday the workshop title is ‘Bugliest Bugs’ where participants will be able to find our about insects and other small animals, and make a Bug Hotel – a home for creepy crawlies.
Thursday’s workshop will be a ‘Hive of Activity’, and will involve making a bee home, for bumblebees.
On Friday the theme will be the ‘Amazing Amazon’ with the resident tribe of Tamarins on an Amazonian rainforest Adventure.
These are some of the activities which the Botanic Gardens and the Wildlife Park hope will serve to further interest in and awareness of nature and wildlife among our young, making the Alameda Gardens more than just a garden.
There will be a small entrance fee which will go towards the animals. To sign up or volunteer to help please call 54017449 or email jessica _@ _gibraltargardens.gi
24 October 2010
BOO AT THE ZOO !!
This year there will be Halloween with a difference at the Alameda Gardens.
The Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park is organizing “Boo at the Zoo” on Friday 29th October from 7pm to 8.30pm.
This will give children an opportunity to visit the animals the Park in the Dark, and take part in activities such as ‘Spooky Tails”, ‘Bedtime with the Beasts’ and ‘Breakfast with the Bats’.
There will be a small charge of £4 for adults and £3.50 for children. There will also be a pumpkin carving competition, with free entry for one child with every pumpkin entered.
Attendance, which will be in fancy dress, will be by booking only, given the limits to the numbers that the Park can take.
Hurry up and book on 54017449!
30 September 2010
Wildlife Park Open Day
- new otter facility to open -
The Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park will be holding its annual Open Day to coincide with World Animal Day and EuroBirdwatch on Saturday 2nd October between 12 noon and 4pm (EuroBirdwatch events start at 8am at the George Don entrance).
Entrance is free, and there will be many activities. The new Short-clawed otter Facility will be officially opened at 1pm.
More details are available here.
16 September 2010
The Papyrus Room
Recently constructed in a contemporary style with a hint of the Far East, this site was initially completed recently, to provide a venue for events from November to March when the Dell is not available.
It has a covered area that can accommodate about 15 people so the couple and a few guests are sheltered from unexpected or indeed forecasted rain. There is room for up to 15 more guests.
The roof has a mechanism similar to that of a shutter so one can open it and let the sun stream in, becoming an alternative setting for other seasons of the year.
The water feature at the southern end surrounded by Arum lilies is very seductive, the spill over the edge gives the Far Eastern touch. In the same pond the graceful abundance of Papyrus Cyperus papyrus or Egyptian Paper Reed lends its name to this venue.
The four different coloured Bougainvillea (named after a French Admiral and Explorer, Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811)), together with the cerise wall which matches the colour of one of the stunning Bougainvillea make this spot most attractive.
A handsome specimen of an Indian laurel Ficus microcarpa at the northern end provides shade and grandeur.
The Papyrus Room is available for hire all year round.
Weddings £150. Maximum number of guests 30.
Photos below: The Papyrus Room before and after:
4 August 2010
Spanish Newspaper Article on Gardens
Today's edition of Europa Sur, a newspaper published in the neighbouring Spanish region of the Campo de Gibraltar, carries an article by Eva Reyes on the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens entitled 'A Botanical Jewel in Gibraltar'.
The article is most complimentary, and the online version can be seen here.
2 June 2010
Garden's Senior Citizen Passes Away
Joseph "Jimmy" Catania passed away in the early hours of 2 June 2010. He was 85. After a long career in the Fire Service, Jimmy became a volunteer gardener in the Gibraltar Health Authority looking after the garden of KGV Hospital and the patio of St. Bernard's Hospital. This allowed him to work in an area that had been his love throughout his life.
When the then Hospital Manager, now Botanic Garden Director, John Cortes, moved onto the the Botanic Garden project, it was logical that he should ask Jimmy to join him. Jimmy had a deep knowledge of gardening and had performed wonders as a volunteer. He therefore became the first ever gardener of the new Botanic Gardens and came to take personal responsibility for the gem of the Garden - the Dell. On the date of his 80th birthday this area was dedicated to him.
Jimmy continued working to the end, which is the way he was.
He was one of those irreplaceable personalities whose charm, cheerfulness, dedication and sense of humour would brighten your day, and make the knowing him an enriching experience in anyone's life.
Rest in Peace Jimmy, the Gardens will always remember you.
15 May 2010
Alameda Wildlife Park Open Day
for International Year of Biodiversity
The Alameda Wildlife Park in the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens will be holding an Open Day to celebrate World Biodiversity Day on Saturday 22nd May from 12 noon to 4pm.
Apart from the viewing of the animals there will be activities for children including bouncy castle and treasure hunt, as well as talks by the keepers.
The Alameda Wildlife Park was set up about 12 years ago in order to house animals that had been seized by Customs from ships carrying them from tropical countries. The animals – parrots and primates – had been taken illegally from the wild. Return to the wild was impossible and efforts to take them out of Gibraltar failed, so that accommodation had to be built for them. This was a great improvement from where they had been housed in the ships that transported them.
Since then further animals have been handed in as unwanted pets, and a few have been obtained to aid in captive breeding programmes. None of the animals obtained for the Park were from the wild and all have been bred in captivity for generations.
The purpose of the Park, then, is to provide as best conditions as possible for the animals unfortunately taken from illegal trade, to prevent unwanted animals from being released into Gibraltar’s habitats where they would either perish or damage the local wildlife, and where possible to play a role in international conservation efforts.
Apart from the Open Day, there will be other activities at the Botanic Gardens, organized by the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society, including bird ringing and bird watching from 8am, a bird of prey display from 10 am and a tour of the Gardens at 11am.
12 March 2010
Queen's Scout Award for Matthew
Matthew Dignam has been working in the Gardens as a trainee under the Gibraltar Government Training Scheme since the end of last year.
Last month, at a ceremony held at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned as part of the Scout Association's Founder's Day celebrations, he was presented with the prestigious Queen's Scout Award, the highest achievable award for young members of the Scout Movement.
Matthew, 18, a member of the 3rd Europa Scout Group, joined Scouts at the age of six. Among the activities he undertook to achieve the Award were a years' voluntary service at Mount Alvernia Residence for the Elderly and a grueling expedition in northern Spain.
Congratulations go to Matthew on this achievement.
26 February 2010
Palm Tree Weevil Hits Gibraltar
A pest that has destroyed thousands of palm trees around the Mediterranean has now claimed its first casualty in Gibraltar. The red palm weevil, a native of south-east Asia has been spreading down the Mediterranean coast of Spain over the past few years.
A single adult palm weevil - a type of beetle - was found in the Rosia area last summer. Yesterday experts from the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens confirmed that the death of a palm Phoenix canariensis in the grounds of Sacred Heart School, whose staff had alerted the Department of the Environment to the presence of the tree, was the result of a heavy infestation of the beetles. Two other palms in the grounds are also affected. Steps are now being taken to remove and incinerate the dead palm and treat the other two trees. Sadly the fate of most palm trees of the genus Phoenix - which are the most common and picturesque found in Gibraltar - is probably sealed unless urgent action is taken.
Some sites in Gibraltar owe much of their charm to palms or have tall, old specimens of great character. These include Line Wall Promenade, the Mount, the Supreme Court, The Convent, Glacis, and Line Wall Synagogue. There are some treatments which are successful in saving infected palms, but preventative measures can be more effective. What is certain is that treatment is more cost-effective than eventual removal due to death. This is frequently highlighted in affected areas of Spain.
The Botanic Gardens commenced a programme of treatment of all the palms within the Alameda last year with a view to protecting all the ones within the Gardens. This programme will continue and the Gardens' experts, as consultants to Government on trees, will continue to provide advice as required.
The Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier,
emerging from its pupal case K. Bensusan
19 February 2010
Parrots Stolen From Wildlife Park
Mr Feathers, an African Grey parrot that was
undergoing specialist treatment
There was a recent theft of five parrots from the Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park. Thieves broke in during the night and managed to take a combination of African Grey and Timneh Grey Parrots from their enclosures. Some of the parrots were expected to breed this year.
All the parrots were from the original two consignments in ships from Africa confiscated by Gibraltar Customs officials over ten years ago. Some were in need of special care and on special diets and so it is unlikely that they will survive.
The Botanic Gardens management condemns this action, which will lead to suffering for the animals. It comes at a time when the park is undergoing much development and improvement in both its animal care and its educational value.
The public is asked to co-operate and report sightings of grey parrots in any property where they have not seen them before.
18 January 2010
New Trees for Old
A programme has started this winter to replace the Pine Trees at the Botanic Gardens
 
Old and new Stone Pines at the Alameda
The traditional look of the Alameda Gardens is predominantly that of a Mediterranean pine wood. This is because, when the gardens were first laid out between 1814 and their opening in 1816, the Stone Pine was one of the main species used.
These pines have now matured into fine specimens, and provide the greater part of the canopy of the gardens, more so that the other main species, the Olives and Dragon Trees.
However, these trees are now about 200 years old and past their prime. A number have been lost in recent years during winter storms, when their weight and the fact that they tend to tilt westwards towards the light have proved too much for them. Others have lost branches. Stone Pines cannot resprout from cut branches and so these will tend to be permanently mutilated.
Because for a large part of their history there was little forward planning when it came to planting in the Alameda, there was in the past no scheme for gradual replacement of these fine pine trees. This has resulted in the risk that, at the current rate, all the pines trees could be lost in the next ten to twenty years.
In order to retain the classical look of the Alameda, a programme of planting Stone Pines has commenced this winter, with six young trees being planted close to the bases of some of the oldest ones. These will be cared for and should thrive, being ready to replace the existing ones as the giants of the Alameda pass slowly away.
Note: The Stone Pine is the species that produces “piñones”, or pine nuts. The wooded character of the Alameda that these trees provide serves to attract some species of birds, like Hoopoes on migration, or the Tawny Owl, which is now a resident in the Botanic Gardens.
A Tawny Owl at Jews' Gate, Gibraltar. This species is now resident in the Gardens. Photo Terry Cooper
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