The Madeira archipelego is located in the Atlantic ocean to the south west of mainland Portugal. Due to the islands high mountains the temperatures in Madeira are very diverse. It can be warm and sunny at sea level where as at higher altitudes clouds can form causing wet and cold weather. Animals and plants of different species take advantage of differing climatic conditions at different points above sea level.

Madeira has warmer winters and cooler summers than the mainland Portugal temperature. Winter temperatures in January and Febuary range between 13 and 19 degrees celcius. In Febuary there is an average of 40.2 mms of rainfall on Porto Santo island and this falls to 23.5 mms by April.

The climate in Porto Santo in summer time has temperature averages at between 17 and 25 degrees celcius in June, July and August. The temperature in Funchal Madeira at Autumn time is still very mild with low temperatures falling from 19 to 16 degrees celcius. In August there is an average of 4mms of rainfall and this reaches 23.7mms by september peaking in the last month of the year at 69.9mms.