Costa Caleta, Fuerteventura
The natural flora in and around Caleta has to be able to cope with the dry climate. There are only 16 - 25 days of rain in Fuerteventura, so any planted species have to be watered on a regular basis to keep them alive. The wind also has a drying effect and any plants that are introduced to exposed positions don't last very long.
The shrub in the image can be seen all over the island, and the one shown is the tallest I have seen. The plant seems to get by an a small amount of water and grows in barrancos (gulleys) that seem to have dried up, as well as on the sides of tarmac roads, where the run off from the dew seems to be sufficient for it to grow.
Palm trees were planted along the walk between Costa Caleta and Costa Antigua, and a number of cactii were planted between the loop on the walk, but these did not survive as they could not cope with the salt laden wind.
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