About a quarter of the island is covered with macchia, a mixture of
exuberantly growing evergreen herbs, bushes and small trees. This stuff
grows up to several meters, but normally it's about knee- or
waist-high. Especially in early Summer, the macchia emits the typical
Corse scent. Napoleon is said to have recognized "his" island with his
nose. The macchia is most beautiful in Spring and early Summer because
most bushes and flowers bloom then.
There's also lots of wood on Corsica, especially pine-trees, but also
cork-oak, chestnuts and beeches. Beeches often grow as brushwood,
especially higher up in the mountains.
