Page 39 - Ti GuideAntigua ITALIAN - ENGLISH 2020

Antigua combines lush tropical vegetation, bright owers and exotic fruits with ancient rainforest and rugged scrubland. The nature lover can hike unspoiled hillsides and remote beaches, explore the national parks and the frigate bird sanctuary or relax on a lounger and watch the busy lizards or the diving pelicans.
FLORA
Five centuries of European in uence have affected not only the island’s history but also its plant life which is permanently stamped with the passing of its foreign conquerors. Many species were brought over by the Europeans who introduced them from their other colonies. The native vegetation consists mainly of shrubs and includes rainforest plants like giant bamboo, rubber trees, mahogany, creepers and numerous varieties of orchid and climbing plants like philodendrons. On the coast grow acacia and g trees, succulents and agaves. A common sight around the lagoons and hurricane holes is the mangrove whose roots help to hold onto sand and coral fragments, making it an essential part of sea ecology. Many of the island’s owers are foreign, like the amboyant which originated in Madagascar and Egypt, and hibiscus, both of which have settled in so well as to become emblems of the island. The beautiful bougainvillea was originally a Mediterranean plant but here comes in different sizes and beautiful bright colours. Coconut palms which are so much part of the image of the Caribbean were imported from India with the papaya and the mango. Almost all the
island’s edible species come from other parts. Captain Bligh of ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ fame brought the breadfruit tree to the Antilles from Tahiti. He was transporting a cargo of saplings to plant on the islands in order to provide low-cost food for the slaves working on the sugar plantations. Sugar cane itself came from other tropical regions and replaced most of the area’s rainforest.
The avocado and the guava originated in Brazil, cocoa came from Central America and the banana was brought over from the Canaries. The earliest inhabitants of the Lesser Antilles cultivated cassava from which tapioca is made and it too played an important role in feeding the slaves cheaply. One of the island’s indigenous trees is the manchineel. Its fruit, which looks like small green apples, has a pleasant scent but is inedible - it can cause violent gastro-intestinal upsets and can even be fatal to children.
WILDLIFE
One of the many species that can be found inland is the heron while on the coast look out for terns, pelicans and petrels. Frigate birds have a wingspan of up to 2 metres and their own nature reserve on Barbuda.
In the 19th century the mongoose was introduced to Antigua in order to control the spread of poisonous snakes which eventually disappeared altogether. Insects are rare whereas the croak of the green tree frog can be heard often. The island is home to cows, sheep and goats brought over by the rst colonists and the ocean holds tropical sh of all colours which can be seen easily with a mask and snorkel.
FLORA 37 FAUNA
Ad Antigua la natura si esprime in una combinazione di vegetazione lussureggiante, ori multicolori, frutta esotica, foresta tropicale e zone aride che un po’ ricordano l’Africa. Per gli amanti della natura, molte le attività da fare: dalle passeggiate, alla scoperta di spiagge incontaminate allo starsene in relax osservando i pellicani in picchiata o le indaffarate lucertole.
LA FLORA La vegetazione di Antigua è costituita dalle piante della foresta pluviale quali i bambù giganti, l’albero della gomma, il mogano, le liane, numerose varietà di orchidee e i rampicanti come il lodendro. Sulla costa, invece, crescono le acacie, i cus, le succulente e le agavi. Nelle lagune e lungo alcune coste cresce la mangrovia le cui radici, immerse nell’acqua, contribuiscono a trattenere sabbia e frammenti corallini e a preservare l’ecosistema. Autoctona è anche la mancinella: i suoi frutti, piccoli e gialli, non sono commestibili: possono, infatti, provocare allergie e bruciori gastrointestinali, mentre per i bambini possono essere molto pericolosi. Palme da cocco, papaia e mango sono invece stati importati dall’India. L’albero del pane arriva da Tahiti da cui fu importato come cibo per gli schiavi; la canna da zucchero da altre regioni tropicali. L’avocado e la guiava arrivano dal Brasile, il cacao dall’America Centrale. Le banane sono originarie delle Canarie. Gli splendidi ori, anche alcuni emblemi dell’isola come il amboyant e l’ibisco, sono per la maggior parte “importati”. La bellissima buganvillea arriva dal Mediterraneo, ma qui assume dimensioni e colori unici.
LA FAUNA Fra le specie da ammirare, sulla terraferma, gli aironi; sulle coste, sterne, pellicani, procellarie e le fregate, grandi uccelli marini con un’apertura alare di due metri, che a Barbuda vivono in un’oasi loro riservata. Nell’Ottocento, per arrestare la diffusione di rettili velenosi fu introdotta la mangusta, piccolo e simpatico mammifero, che a volte ci attraversa la strada. I serpenti sono scomparsi tranne l’Antiguan Racer, specie innocua e protetta. Rari gli insetti, diffuse le raganelle verdi con il loro tipico gracidio. Diffusi gli ovini e i bovini: pecore, mucche e capre giunsero sull’isola portati dai primi coloni. I fondali ospitano pesci di tutti i colori, facilmente visibili con maschera e boccaglio.