Some of the plant pictures are without names, if you can do the honors great!
Apart from the wonderful plants which can be found all over the island, the walking and scenery is wonderful
One
of the glories of Madeira in the Autumn are the Kapok trees
On our first day we went to the Eira de Sarrado which looks down on the
Nuns valley
After
a cup of coffee we decided we could manage the decent down the old
post trail
Fortunately
plenty of time for frequent stops 
There are still a number of Madeira herbs and other flowering plants doing
their thing in October, This also does well in Cornwall
This came back with us one year by accident, the seed must have bneen on
something else but its still with us 4 years on
Recently cleared the path was easier than we thought
On our way back from the Nuns valley we walked back up through the municipal
park at the western end of the sea front
Podranea is at its best in October, grows well in our garden but sadly
does not flower out doors but only under glass
This end of the Lavada dos Tornos is one of our favorite walks
many
pools and waterfalls along the way
These
viaduct type bridges look alarming as you approach but are easy to cross
despite the drops
Tail
end of the Agapanthus which must look fabulous in August and September
A medeira native this solanum seems to pop up everywhere
First time we have seen this, herding sheep along the Lavada path
Its
only on the higher Lavadas that it is cool enough for Passiflora, sadly
although this looks like the Banana passion flower P.mollissima its not
and P. tarminiana is not so nice to eat
This slightly blurey shot shows someone walking on the bit of Lavada we
had just done, you get an idea of the steepness in places.
Fortunately
as we walk in shorts the brambles are never a problem, these even taste
nice which is more than can be said the madeiran strawberries which look
exactly like the sweet wild strawberries in the uk but taste awful!
October
in Madeira as in Cornwall see the start of the Amarylis flowering
In some places the cover the slopes
Its
a shame I couldn't put the scent on line for you, especially strong at
night
Back
at the hotel are many interesting plants, this Ginger Lily is one that
rarely flowers back home
Does well in Cornwall but is cut to the ground by frost each year
Slightly tougher than grandifolia but still prefers frost free conditions
I have one of these in the conservatory but am struggling to get it to
flower
Found in a newly cleared bit right at the top of the botanic garden
Some really stunning hibiscus to be found all over the island
The
jardim orchida is below the Botanic gardens and although small very nicely
presented
They
may call it a beach but you can tell by the total absence of people on a
lovely sunny day that most tourist do not rate black rocks to lay on! For
us its a plus - no beaches, no hordes of people.
All along the promenade behind the lido area has been planted up and
there are several new small gardens. We were struck by the jasmines which
appeared to be thriving despite how close to the sea they were
Up
to the north coast for this lovely walk
Sometimes
they appear to grow out of nothing
not
mist or cloud but spider webs
spotted
this set of steps the far side and spared a thought for the poor chap
whose fields were at the bottom
Once
you turn inland you are soon into the national park
In
some places there are houses on the Lavadas and in many cases they garden
the sides
The
next day we returned to the north coast for a short walk of just 2 hours
but it turned out to be very pretty with a complete absence of other
walkers
In
parts very jungle like
This
lavada looked and behaved much more like a natural stream
But
a stream that had been colonized by many colourful plants, the scent from
the gingers was everywhere
Several
pictures of these as they are one of my favorites!
Does
well in Cornwall
This
is the source of the Lavadas water
Looking back from the bus stop to the hill side we had just walked along
Seedlings
of this palm at our hotel doing very nicely here in Cornwall
Looked
like a smaller neater version of Magnolia grandiflora (smelt the same
too!)
I thought this was native but apparently introduced from South Africa for
the cut flower trade it seems to favor the high open ground
One
of the most popular of Lavada walks yopu can see why as you make your way
from Ribrio Frio to Portelea through national park land
Below the Botanic garden in Funchal is the start of this Lavada
Not
very promising to start
It
soon become a wonderful walk with lots of native vegetation
And also some introduced like the Eucalypts
This lovely stone bridge marks the end of the level bit, for those energetic
souls you can go up from here to Monte
Every
time we return to the island our hotel's gardens seem to improve
The
Jardim do Imperidor is a bit like the lost garden of Heligan at the moment
there is not much to see but if you are up at monte its a short easy walk
The
municipal gardens at Monte are well worth walking down through on your way
to the more famous Monte Palace gardens