Medibees, an organisation dedicated to sustainable beekeeping across the Mediterranean, has turned its gaze to the aridity currently rolling across the Maltese Islands, expected to last till the end of summer.

Their spotlight, however, shed some light on ‘purple cushions of flowers’ that one can spot in the Maltese countryside, amidst the neutral tones of dried-up garigue that pervade most landscapes across the island during these months.

This plant is Maltese Thyme (Thymbra capitata), known in Maltese as ‘sagħtar’, and its purple flowers are ones that Maltese honeybees go crazy for, making it an important honey crop for Maltese beekeepers.

The reason why this plant can survive the brutal aridity of Malta’s summer is its cushion-like style of growing – an adaptation to the arid conditions. It minimises the surface exposed to sun and wind, by avoiding loss of water. This makes them the valuable resource for honey bee colonies and their productivity, even in difficult conditions like the ones the Maltese summer provides. It’s this very toughness, in fact, that made Maltese Thyme the symbol of courage of warriors and soldiers long ago!

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Thyme and honeybees are so intertwined that you’ll find a great deal of what’s known as ‘wild thyme honey’ – a summer honey harvested in July and August. It’s unique to Malta and Gozo, precisely because during the hot summer months, the lack of other flowers forces bees to almost exclusively feed on thyme, save for a few other wild plants available between June and September.

So if you come across any of those purple flowers blooming in your path while hiking, tread carefully! There might be some honey bees in the vicinity having a refreshing summer snack. 

Have you spotted any of these purple flowers on the island?