The islands are criss-crossed by the horizontal lines of ancient terraces, but are now largely dominated by Mediterranean scrubland, which is home to a multitude of species, from the broom which lies on the slopes of the crater in Vulcano to the forest of chestnut trees that covers the summit of Salina; from bright red of the euphorbia plants on the cliffs of Stromboli and Filicudi to the myrtle and the olive trees scattered along the slopes of Panarea, and the heather and arbutus that grow in the heart of Lipari. It would take many pages to describe all the varieties of flora and fauna that ourish in the Aeolian Islands, but to discover them, you only need to walk the dozens of trails that wind through the hills, the active and extinct volcanoes, the coastal slopes overlooking the ancient farming villages and the valleys exposed to the sea breeze, to experience the thrill of exploring nature - the true essence of the archipelago. Every summer, the queen's hawks return to nest on the cliffs, while in spring and autumn, hundreds of species of migratory birds cross the seven islands. Black lizards - unique in the world - are the custodians of the reefs and islets where the seagulls reign supreme, and a rich ora of nine hundred species of plants are on display to visitors in the Aeolian Herbarium of Malfa, including some which only grow in these places and which will enhance the biodiversity of the National Park soon be created in the archipelago. Meanwhile, for now, their protection and preservation are entrusted to ve protected areas established in the Aeolian Islands, among which Salina's nature reserve "The Mountains of the Ferns and Leeks", opened in 1981, stands out.