IN PHOTOS: Let Us Take A Moment To Remember The 15 Species That Went Down With The Azure Window
One year ago today, the iconic Azure Window came crashing down, making the news worldwide. A 28-metre-tall natural arch on the island of Gozo, the Window was also the home of a unique ecosystem that is now extinct.
“As a naturalist I always saw the Azure Window differently, and when I was in my teens I always hoped that that it would collapse in my lifetime,” Arnold Sciberras told Lovin Malta. Arnold has a valid reason for such a hope.
“I always hoped that the middle arch would collapse leaving the outer stack, and the ecosystem on it, free standing,” he said. “This would have created a natural laboratory where the endemic species trapped on the mentioned stack are isolated and would eventually evolve according to the new micro-habitat. This is nothing new to our islands as we are peppered by other small islands that have unique biodiversity.” However, the Azure Window collapsed from the stack region, literally dashing his dream on the rocks.
While none of these species are extinct, some of them are rare and endemic and found only in the Dwejra region. With the Azure Window’s collapse, their population took a substantial hit.
Arnold, along with botanist Jeffrey Sciberras and marine biologist Patrick Vella had documented the species of flora that were on the natural arch before it collapsed. These plants, along with species of insects like crickets, fell into the sea exactly one year ago today. Let us remember our fallen flora.
1. Maltese everlasting
Helichrysum melitense
2. Egyptian St. John Wort
Hypericum aegypticum
3. Maltese Salt-rree
Darniella melitensis
4. Dodder
Cuscuta epithymum
5. Sea-side carrot
Daucus gingidium
6. Sea-side squill
Urginea pancration
7. Grey Bird’s trefoil
Lotus cytisoides
8. Pitch clover
Psoralea bituminosa
9. Maltese sea-lavender
Limonium melitensis
10. Shrubby glasswort
Arthrocnemum macrostachyum
11. Coastal ragwort
Senecio leucanthemifolius
12. Rock crosswort
Crucianell rupestris
13. Maltese sea chamomile
Anthemis urvilleana
14. Golden Samphire
Limbarda crithmoides
15. Mediterranean Reichardia
Reichardia intermedia
BONUS: House cricket
Acheta Domesticus
Sure, it might not be part of the area’s flora and there are (thankfully?) still enough of these little critters around, but a couple of these guys might’ve still been lost a year ago.