41. The Mediterraean Thyme

A very well-known plant, the Mediterranean thyme (Maltese: saghtar) gets its finest hour as the seasons start heating up. As if out of nowhere, the dark bristly green bushes suddenly burst out in a blaze of magenta flowers, and the garrigue is suddenly back in the bees' good books. Thyme is in fact a very important source plant for the bees' honey industry, something which has been known since antiquity. It is for this reason that thyme has for many years been protected and its destruction forbidden. Apart from its insect appeal - butterflies love it too -  thyme is one of the aromatic species, and a brush with its short bristly leaves will leave you in no doubt, as your nostrils are filled with the timeless scent of its powerful oils. If one could pick a single smell that instantly evoke wide open Maltese xaghri, thyme IS it.

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