Europe’s Wild Islands

Deep in the Atlantic new islands are forming, very slowly, alongside the ancient peaks of the Azores. Some of these emerging islands now reach to just below the surface. But how did the jungle find its way on to the inhospitable rocks, long before the arrival of humans? The answer is birds. Species from Europe and America arrived here carrying seeds. They are in some ways the founders of the islands. And the most common creatures on the Azores are spiders! Around them, following the currents, the giants of the sea congregate to enjoy the feast of microscopic plankton these islands serve them.