15. Lentisk

The Lentisk is a large evergreen shrub ideal for our dry climate: indeed, wherever remnants of old-growth maquis survive around the Mediterranean, Lentisk (M: Deru) is often one of the dominant species. Malta too had many such lush thickets in the past, but man removed them all for firewood and to make space for agriculture. And his goats ensured the vegetation never recovered! Now the goats are gone, and in places the hardy Lentisk is making a slow comeback (faster if helped by habitat-restoration projects like Foresta 2000). The Lentisk is a plant that can make Malta greener and - thanks to its berries - more attractive to birds and wildlife.

Text by Victor Falzon, photo by Desirée Falzon. Copyright to Birdlife Malta.