Our hunter gatherer ancestors would have discovered a seasonal sustenance as they passed along these ancient Andalucian woods.
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The fringing green of wild olives and alders that marks the line of the River Almoldovar is punctuated here and there by a splash of lighter greens.
These are the clambering wild grape vines and they advertise their autumnal bounty for all to see.
Moving closer, one can see the sheer abundance of these sweetened drupes gently swaying in the zephyr breezes.
The purple orbs have concentrated the summers golden sunlight into a perfection of sweetness and each grape blushes white with that noble rot, so beloved of the vintners of the world.
Already much of the low hanging fruit has disappeared and judging by the large wild boar wallow at the feet of these plants, it is easy to see who has been feasting here.
The ground around is strewn with the hair of these boars, its pungent acid odour mixing with the perfume of the grapes.
During their foraging they have neatly turned the soil around the feet of the vines, mixing soil with dung. The hairs of the boar blow in the wind and are caught in the branches of the trees, ready to be used in the nests of the birds the coming Spring.
In gratitude for the living sugars of the grapes, these same birds and boar will help to spread the seeds far and wide.
This is an ecology in full motion, each organism taking its share and playing its role. It is a wild dance set against the grandest of natural symphonies.
Photo: Wild grapes at the Almoldovar. Courtesy of the author.