Angel Hair, you quite often come across some spikey bushes on the side of the path that are covered in a strange golden shroud.
The actual bush, Aulaga (Launaea arborescens) is very common on Lanzarote. This is partly due to the fact that its thorns protect it from grazing goats. Nevertheless it has enemies, often it is seen covered in this mesh of orange brown threads.
This mesh can only be removed with great difficulty, as it is closely interwoven with the Aluaga. The threads are a plant called Angel Hair (Cuscuta approximata). It is a parasite extracting water and nutrients from its host plant. Everything Cuscuta needs is extracted from the host through specially developed organs growing into the victim.
Angel Hair – Colour
Cuscuta is almost completely lacking in chlorophyll. Which gives rise to its golden colour as opposed to the more normal plant green.
Lanzarote History
To discover more on the history of Lanzarote, there are a couple of external sites which have proved useful during my wanderings.
The sites are in Spanish, so if it helps I have made an attempt to summarise a few topics of interest in the History section.