Sorbus domestica is a common plant in this area. It's not a very widespread one, I never came across large areas, or even small groves, covered with these trees, but it's not unusual to encounter it among typical Mediterranean vegetation. Yes, Sorbus domestica is a common plant ...
... but the protagonist of this post, it's a pretty peculiar tree ...
... that grew very close to the sea ...
... so its branches are hanging low above the intertidal zone ...
... and now, in the first days of autumn that still feels like summer, the fruits are falling in the mud of the bay, or in the shallow water if the tide is high.
The fallen fruits are often displayed in combination with empty shells brought by the tides and waves, creating some very photogenic autumnal arrangements.
Not all the fruits are down in the salty water or mud.
Some are still on the tree.
The fruits of Sorbus domestica are edible. But their taste is sweet and pleasant only when they start looking quite unpleasant, overripe and rotten. You can find those tasty fruits under the tree, or you can pick the nice looking one from the branches and then let them overripe at home. The ripe fruits are soft and smell nice, but are highly astringent and gritty when you put them in the mouth.
Quite unexpectedly, I found another interesting fruit under the tree. A dark banana! It looked like it fell from the tree, but this is just the skin of someone's snack, probably eaten on the boat, and then brought here by the sea. No banana trees with big, well-developed fruits can be found in this part of the world.
The muddy terrain under and around the tree is covered with shells of various sea snails and clams. The empty shell of the Pinna nobilis shellfish in the foreground of this photograph is pretty big ...
... other shells are much smaller ...
... or really minuscule.
They are piled up in some places, creating relatively thick layers.
Here you can see yet another decorative composition made of three shells and a fallen fruit.
Sorbus domestica it's a deciduous tree ...
... so the fruits aren't the only thing that falls in autumn.
The brown leaves can also be found on the ground ...
... often mixed with empty shells.
Some small shells at the edge of the water weren't so empty ...
... hermit crabs brought them back to life ... kind of.
I presented the main protagonist as one tree, but actually ...
... I'm not sure about that ...
... because when I entered the space under the branches, a very secretive place that looks like a little house or tent ...
... I saw a mess of intertwined, contorted trunks ...
... coming out of the tick red soil at the eroded edge of the meadows behind the beach.
I still don't know how many trees are in this post.
This shot was taken in the shade under the tree.
Here I zoomed out a bit to see the larger picture.
On this photograph, where I zoomed out even more, you can see the whole installation, the old car tire filled with a nice mix of empty shells brought by the sea.
Among this multitude of pretty similar small clams and snails, I found also a few different products from the sea.
This is the shell of some snail from the Vermetidae family. These snails excrete elongated, worm - like shells, very similar to those of some tube worms.
This large, well-preserved Pinna nobilis was photographed nearby.
Here you can take a quick look at the shallow water and the mud of the bay under the midday sun.
On this photograph, you can take a more up close look at the same thing.
Here you can see some more shells from the shade under the tree, and on the following photograph ...
... you can admire one more fallen leaf ...
... near the lovely shell of some sea snail.
I spent about an hour under the tree ...
... photographing the leaves, the shells ...
... the interesting shapes of the trunks ...
... and roots ...
... that looked a bit like something out of the fantasy world, Middle Earth or something. Some ancient "once upon a time" stuff, contorted by its age.
This is the leaf of another tree. Don't know which one exactly. The sea could have brought it from some relatively distant place. Maybe somewhere across the bay. I found it while walking up and down the muddy inlet.
The Maniola jurtina butterfly on these four shots was photographed on the yellow flower of the Limbarda crithmoides plant that grew in between the rocks at the edge of the inlet.
Here you can see two minimalist compositions with the living sea snail waiting for the high tide on the humid mud.
The shell of this pretty big spiked sea snail, the Bolinus brandaris, is empty.
With this photograph, I'm under the tree again ...
... concentrated on the foliage above my head. Before becoming brown and ready to fall, the leaves go through the yellow and red phase, and small splashes of those bright colors mixed with the prevalent green look great in certain light. Especially against the blue backdrop of the clear, sunny sky.
Here you can see three more details of the lovely foliage.
A bit later, still under the tree ... or trees ...
... while exploring the trunks, branches and even a bit of visible roots ...
... I noticed a couple of small new shoots ...
... to add to this post.
And now ...
... with a few more photographs ...
... that show the general atmosphere, the light and colors under the tree ...
... and small details on the mud ...
... is time to end this Tree Tuesday.
As always in these posts on HIVE ...
... the photographs are my work - THE END.
