The natural landscape of the Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is an oblong island running northeast to southwest, about 50 kilometers long, 20 kilometers wide at its widest point, and covering an area of ??572 square kilometers. Its shape and placement in the sea are very similar to Tobago Island in the Caribbean, except that it is twice the size of Tobago Island. The terrain on the island is basically hilly, with few flat areas and some gentle areas near the sea. The highest point on the island is Snaefell Peak, 620 meters above sea level. In the local language, fall means mountain peak. This also proves that there are indigenous languages ??and scripts in the area.

Due to different altitudes, the distribution of plants also varies from low to high. There are many grasslands in the gentle hills of the coastal lowlands. The grasslands are separated by thorn plants or built-up stones. They should be boundary markers or partitions for grazing cattle and sheep. When you go up to about 200 meters above sea level, you will see patches of pine and cypress trees, which seem to be private plantations. Higher up, the green grassland disappears and is covered by endless ocher-red heather plants. Sheep are sparsely scattered on the hillside, struggling to find edible grass. The top of the mountain is submerged in clouds and mist most of the time.

The most impressive thing about the Isle of Man around May is the numerous golden yellow flowers. The thorns that separate the meadows mentioned earlier are full of needle-bearing things called gorse. In some places, they bloom in patches. If the sun shines on them, the wonder of them is indescribable. When I came from southern England, I could already see the yellow rapeseed flowers blooming, but on the Isle of Man, I had no chance to see the crops in the fields. They were replaced by green grass and gorse. Gorse is not all joy for shepherds. Although it is beautiful to look at, it is poison to cattle, horses and sheep. Only tourists and invertebrates, such as bees, moths, flies and butterflies, like it. Humans want to enjoy its scenery, while flying insects use pollen as food, which is what they depend on for survival. More importantly, it is the national (island) flower of the Isle of Man.

In the British Isles, gorse leaves can be seen everywhere, especially as you go northward. In the Scottish Highlands, this thorny plant is everywhere this season.