Flores means flowers and the island has been described as a floating green garden. This is due to the rich volcanic soils and the humid subtropical climate with frequent rainfall. Although not the original flowers, hydrangeas were introduced to the Azores from Asia by the Portuguese. They have thrived—used as fences and even becoming the official flower of the Azores. The colour of the flowers depends on the acidity and mineral content of the soil, with the blue colour typically growing in the acidic volcanic soils found on Flores.
Flores, and Corvo Island, form the western group of the Azores archipelago. The two islands are located on the North American tectonic plate. To their east is the Mid Atlantic Ridge where plates meet. The whole Azores region is geologically active. Flores is a volcano whose last eruption was about 3000 years ago—recent for geologists. The central massif with deep valleys and high peaks dominates the view of the island, with or without clouds. Flores is one of UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves, recognising the partnership between ecology and the social use of the landscape by people for farms and vineyards. Whaling was an industry in the Azores until the 1980s, with shore-based crews and local processing works. Sperm Whales were targeted and the deep waters around the Azores still support them and rare beaked whales. Shallower water attracts Common, Bottlenose and Atlantic Spotted dolphins.
In 1591, Grenville died at the battle of Flores fighting against an overwhelmingly larger Spanish fleet near the Azores. The sea battle of the Revenge
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We anchored early off Santa Cruz das Flores but could not get ashore until the afternoon due to high swell. Thus we never repositioned to Corvo for the afternoon and lost our island drive there. However we went ashore early on Flores as soon after noon as possible and walked into Santa Cruz, with little time to spare to get back to the coaches for the island tour: again lush but with changeable weather. Several stops at view points and then a longer one on the far side of the island where we had a late lunch of a toasted cheese sandwich. The guide was particularly bad but the scenery was outstanding
Click on any thumbnail photo and get a larger photo
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