#common gorse

Common Gorse bloom on the Orme 🌼 Gorse is a very hardy evergreen shrub that thrives in late winter and spring. It’s very vivid in colour and very spiky.

Common Gorse - Tojo-arnal (Ulex europaeus)

Lisbon/Portugal (24/02/2026)

common gorse

Common Gorse - Tojo-arnal (Ulex europaeus)

Lisboa/Portugal (14/02/2024)

And now she's high upon the down,

Alone amid a prospect wide;

There's neither Johnny nor his horse,

Among the fern or in the gorse;

There's neither doctor nor his guide.

— William Wordsworth

Spiders and mites on gorse

Gorse is beautiful plant, although best viewed from a distance, rather than walked through, as it is incredibly spiny and prickly. The sharp spines are, however, a tremendous advantage if you are small enough to live within their protection. It is also a plant that is remarkably variable in terms of its flowering period and duration – some plants remaining in flower for up to six months – so it…