A person born amid fumaroles, springs, plants, and countless flowers would have to be remarkably insensitive not to develop a special relationship with and affection for flowers.

Recently, I was in Bilbao and, during a visit to the Guggenheim Museum—a testament to its connection with the history of its surroundings and to sustainability—I saw an exhibition honoring the 100th anniversary of American sculptor of Japanese descent Ruth Asawa, born in 1926 and renowned for her floral-inspired works and wire sculptures with extraordinary geometric forms. Her inspiration came from plants, flowers, spider webs, and the dew she observed in nature and in her own garden. Hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and irises were her principal references, but also cryptomeria branches. Today, Asawa’s work stands both as a testimony and as an incentive to recognize the importance that plants and flowers hold in human development.

The book Azores – 500 Flowers is yet another volume resulting from the partnership between Raimundo Quintal and Teófilo Braga, a duo who know each other well and who have extensively researched the natural and environmental ecosystem of the Azores, particularly that of São Miguel Island. Their focus has been directed toward the endemic plants of the Azores, the islands’ forest heritage, their plants and flowers, and their gardens.

Azores – 500 Flowers is published by Letras Lavadas Edições, printed by Nova Gráfica, Ltd., with cover design by Jaime Serra and layout by Pedro Melo. The authors’ work is enriched by excellent photographs taken by the authors themselves, along with contributions from Carina Costa, Francisco Ribeiro, Jean-Claude Maret, Lúcia Ventura, Manuel Moniz da Ponte, and Maria Helena Câmara. The book also includes a foreword by José António Pacheco.

This work of 336 pages is carefully organized, offering a journey that serves as a hymn to the world of flowers within the Azorean ecosystem. It constitutes an important documentary record of flowers, a testimony to how they are used and to their origins, whether they are trees (140), shrubs (131), climbers (40), or herbaceous plants (189), all properly identified and accompanied by excellent photographic records. The realism is such that one can almost smell the fragrance of the flowers and imagine them in their natural environment, arranged in a vase as decoration or woven into a floral carpet adorning the Procession of the Sick in the Furnas Valley.

In summary, I would say that this book is an important window of hope into our natural heritage. It conveys confidence that not everything is lost in the world of plants and flowers in the Azores and that, amid so many threats, it is still possible to glimpse the beauty of the nature that surrounds us. It shows that there remain niches worth preserving, working for, and even fighting for. It is a book to be read, displayed in our libraries, consulted regularly, made available in public libraries, promoted in schools of all levels—including universities—and offered to visitors and to diverse audiences.

This book is also a tribute to all the women and men who work with plants and flowers, cultivating and caring for different species, protecting this natural heritage from aggressive invasive species, experimenting with new varieties, conducting research, passing knowledge on to younger generations, and even to the workers who interact with them, while spreading awareness of the importance of plants and flowers for the balance and well-being of humanity.

Among the men and women who form part of my circle of friends devoted to flowers, I would like to mention a few names and, through them, pay tribute to all: Henrique Aguiar Rodrigues, Estêvão Bulhões (now deceased), Manuel Moniz da Ponte, João Forjaz Sampaio, Isabel Soares Albergaria, Fernando Costa, and Carina Costa. Special recognition is due to the work carried out by the latter two at the Terra Nostra Garden Park in Furnas, particularly in the Camellia collection, exemplified by the creation of the new camellia Patrícia Bensaude Fernandes, properly classified and registered, as well as their contributions to the endemic flora of the Azores.

It is also worth mentioning Estêvão Machado, a native of Furnas who, in the last century, devoted much of his time to plants and especially to camellias. A camellia even bears his name, although I am unaware whether it was officially classified and registered.

I hope that Azores – 500 Flowers will serve as yet another warning about the need for public authorities and Azorean civil society to mobilize against the catastrophe represented by aggressive invasive plants in the destruction of our natural heritage. Their impact on our lands, pastures, gardens, forests, hillsides, lake shores, and roadsides is incalculable. One only has to look around to see how these species occupy more territory every day.

The ginger lilies, giant gunnera, castor bean, incense tree, tobacco plant, and blackberry, to name only a few invasive species, continue to spread while our endemic plants decline. Some invasives even suppress less aggressive species that are useful and beautiful, such as hydrangeas. It is a serious problem with no solution currently in sight, and I speak from personal experience as someone who has spent considerable time on eight of our nine Azorean islands.

Naturally, to many tourists everything appears simply green, but for those of us who were born and raised in the homeland of flowers, we are not deceived and, indeed, we suffer from this sad reality of aggressive invasive species.

Plants and flowers have always been a source of inspiration for painters, poets, sculptors, gardeners, lovers, writers, religious figures, ordinary people, and, more recently, for engineering and robotics.

Father José Jacinto Botelho (1872–1946), born in Ponta Garça, was the first parish priest of Furnas. A poet-priest, pilgrim, and the greatest preacher of his time, he was also a lover of flowers. As early as the nineteenth century, he understood how to use them in promoting the famous Procession of the Lord of the Sick, known as the First Sunday Procession—a profound religious manifestation of the people of Furnas. It featured, and still features, extraordinary carpets of azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and, more recently, cryptomeria greenery decorating the roads through which the procession passes on its visits to the sick of Furnas.

This procession attracted—and continues to attract—thousands of people each year to the Furnas Valley, both for religious devotion and to admire the beauty of the floral carpets. I confess, as I have written before, that I prefer to see and experience flowers on their plants and in their natural environment rather than laid out on the roads. Yet I am not insensitive to the entire context surrounding the First Sunday Procession. In fact, I personally decorate with flowers, using my own hands and designs, the stretch of road in front of our home in Furnas through which the procession passes every year.

Father José Jacinto Botelho was also the author of the Hymn of Furnas, in which he wrote:

Nestled among mountains,
Smiles the Homeland of Flowers.
Our deeply beloved land,
Nest of our affections!

Raimundo Quintal is a native of Funchal, Madeira. He holds a doctorate in Geography and is a professor, researcher, environmental advocate, promoter, and communicator. He has devoted much of his life to public service and has a particularly recognized connection to biodiversity, the Laurisilva forest, irrigation channels, habitat restoration, gardens, writing, and the production of nature and environmental programs in the media, especially on television.

He is a profound expert on the endemic plants, trees, and flowers of both the Azores and Madeira. He has worked on the study and planning of Azorean gardens, and his work is documented in several books whose reach extends beyond the geographic horizons of the Azores and Madeira. Every day he exercises his right and duty as a citizen, supporting and criticizing realities that either enhance or diminish the Autonomous Region of Madeira, often at personal cost, yet never allowing such difficulties to prevent him from continuing his daily commitment to the place where he lives.

Teófilo Braga is an Azorean born in Vila Franca do Campo. A teacher, union representative, researcher, and advocate for the environment and animal welfare, he has embraced numerous causes throughout his life. He is recognized as the founder of the Ecological Association Friends of the Azores, one of the organizations represented on the Economic and Social Council of the Azores.

Individually and in collaboration, he is the author and co-author of numerous studies and books in various fields, with particular emphasis on the environment, Azorean plants and trees, environmental associations, energy, and hiking trails. Alongside these interests, he has also dedicated special attention to social and human causes, as demonstrated by his book Exemplary Lives.

The connection between Raimundo Quintal and Teófilo Braga—and vice versa—has produced many fruitful collaborations in writing, especially in the fields of plants and flowers, but also in works celebrating landmarks of the Azorean natural heritage, such as their joint book on the Dr. Fraga Forest. Their guided visits to gardens and woodlands of São Miguel are also greatly appreciated, including excursions to the Dona Beatriz do Canto Park in Furnas, the Lagoa do Congro Forest in Achada das Furnas, and the Dr. Fraga Forest along the regional road of Furnas.

Presented at the launch of the book Azores – 500 Flowers.
June 3, 2026.

Translated from Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros.