Primavera Alpujarreña - Spring in the Alpujarras

We had a rather wet spring here in Bérchules.  But everything looks luch and green... and a lot of flowers at the meadows.

Flores - Flowers

Sierra Nevada, a paradise for nature photographers

One of the interesting phenomena of the Sierra Nevada are the insects inhabiting the high peak areas. According to an article on the Fauna de Sierra Nevada on the website of Waste Ideal, there are possibly about five thousand species of invertebrates of which more than a hundred are endemic to this mountain range. A few days ago we took the microbus up from Capileira the Mirador de Trevélez (2,650m) and enjoyed taking pictures of the flora and fauna in the vicinity of this viewpoint. We wandered about on the boggy pastures or borreguiles of the Barranco del Postercuelo and the Barranco del Peñon Negro above the dirt track going to the Refugio de Poquiera. The Estrella de las Nieves immediately caught our eye and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of Apollos, Fritallaries and colonies of Silver-studded blues. We saw one Plebejus Argus being caught in a spider web. We came across a longhorned beetle, Iberodorcadion lorquini, and and a ´smiling´ grasshopper. While walking cross-country up through pebbled terrain we saw many endemic plants, like the Sierra Nevada violet and a black beetle called Pimelia monticola. We followed the Pista de Capileira (antigua carretera de Sierra Nevada) back to the Mirador de Trevélez and photographed a Baetica ustulata holding on to a flower of the Jurinea humilis and an Eumigus rubioi, an endemic wingless grasshopper, enjoying his lunch. A Silver-studded Blue was comparting a flower of the Reseda complicata with a couple of interesting looking insects. While we still had some time left before the microbus would take us back, we climbed up the Alto del Chorrillo, an excellent watch out point with a large ruined building that was used to store supplies in the Civil War. Our selection of photographs of Monday the 25th of July shows that if you´re interested in nature photography in the high peak area, but don´t want to walk for hours, taking the microbus up from Capileira to the Mirador de Trevélez is an excellent alternative. On the way back somebody showed us his inspiring pictures of beautiful flowers, mountain goats and birds. At that moment we were confirmed in the thought that the higher zones of the Sierra Nevada is a paradise for nature photographers, especially in this time of the year.

Gentiana pneumonanthe subsp Depressa

There are plant species which are widely distributed in Europe, while it has a subspecies that is endemic to
Sierra Nevada. This holds true for Gentiana pneumonanthe subsp Depressa. This blue-flowered gentian can be found in an area that is almost twenty kilometres long, albeit interrupted due to its ecological requirements. The number of individuals capable of flowering is estimated between 5000 and 10000.
This subspecies of the Marsh Gentian grows at altitudes between 2,200 and 3,200 metres, in the oro- and crioromediterranean levels. The factors that determine its scarcity are the ecological requirements and the limited number of suitable habitats for its development. Its habitats are high mountain pastures, known as ´borreguiles´ and peat bogs. This Gentiana pneumonanthe subsp Depressa and four other gentians that inhabit the marshy meadows of Sierra Nevada are listed as ´vulnerable´ and on the list of endangerd species, the Lista Roja de la Flora Vascular de Andalucía. This is because their habitat, the ´borreguiles´ are affected by overgrazing, the changing of water courses and tourism.  Three weeks ago we saw a fairly large number of this endemic Marsh Gentian along a small stream flowing into the Barranco de las Albardas at an altitude of 2,550 metres.



Related articles:
- References on the local flora

Related links:
- Gabriel Blanca López: Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada (pdf 18MB)

Related key words: cáliz de la aurora, genciana de turbera, klokjesgentiaan, lungen-enzian, familia gencianáceas, gentiaanfamilie,  familie der enziangewächse,  famille des Gentianacées

Senecio nevadensis

The Senecio nevadensis or ´Suzón de Sierra Nevada´ is one of the more than sixty endemic plants of Sierra Nevada. There are other ´senecios´ to be found in the massif, like Senecio elodes, Senecio eriopus and Senecio quinqueradiatus, but this ´Nevada ragwort´ is the only one that can be found exclusively in Sierra Nevada. Its habitats are in the highest parts of the mountain range, between 2,600 metres and 3,300 metres in the ´pisos oro y crioromediterráneo´ (oromediterranean and crioromediterranean levels). This member of the daisy family can be found on steep stony slopes or ´canchales´ (´pedregales móviles´ or ´cascajales sueltos´, gravelly areas with unstable schist slabs). It caught our attention mid July because it has large stems (up to 30 cm) and it was still in bud. Many other plants in the area were tiny, colourful, with hardly any stems or leaves, peeping out of the rocks and in full flower; like the Chaenorrhinum glareosum, Iberis carnosa subsp emberger, and the Viola crassiuscula (violeta de Sierra Nevada or Nevada violet). When we went back early August, we saw this Senecios nevadensis in full bloom just below the ridge of the Loma de Piedra Ventana, a spot were the shepherds probably don´t come. We took another route back, so where we had seen a large number in bud, we did not see whether they had come into flower or not. This ´Nevada reagwort´ is listed as ´vulnerable´ and and therefore included in the ´Lista roja de la flora vascular de Andalucía´ (Red List of Vascular Flora of Andalusia). According to the information on this ´Nevada ragwort´ in Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada there are only three populations (between 10000 and 15000 individuals). When we look at the small map in Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada on which the known populations are located, we are to the right of them. The ones we have seen, might be a population the scientists are not yet aware of. It is a threatened due to its specific ecological requirements and extreme fluctuations of fruit production, depending on the climatic conditions. Because it flowers late, in years with a particularly early cold autumn, it barely comes to fruition. Apart from this, grazing constitutes another threat. This species was first validly published by the Swiss botanist Emond Boissier and his French companion George François Reuter in their Pugillus plantarum novarum Africae borealis Hispaniaeque australis (1852).



Related articles:
- References on the local flora
- Cerro del Gallo, the highest mountain of Bérchules

Related key words: sierra nevada kruiskruid, sierra nevada greiskraut, sierra nevada kreutzkraut, séneçon de Sierra nevada, Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Plantago nivalis or ´snow star´

The Plantago nivalis or ´estrella de las nieves´ is one of the more than sixty endemic plants of the Sierra Nevada. This ´snow star´ can be found at altitudes higher than 2,300 metres in the ´pisos oro y crioromediterraneo´ (oromediterranean and crioromediterranean levels). This alpine species has a preference for areas where the snow remains for a long period and the borders of high mountain meadows, locally known as ´borreguiles´. The ´snow star´ is a regarded as a bioindicator of this habitat. It presents a number of climatic adaptations. Its leaves hold water and the coating of soft white hairs (pubescence) protects the plant from cold temperatures, prevents evaporation and reflects the strong solar radiation. As the ´snow star´ grows very close to the ground it is a protected from strong winds. The flowers of this plant are grouped in a small head at the end of a long stalk, so as to facilitate the dispersion of the polen by the wind to other plants nearby. According to the text on this Plantago nivalis on the on-line magazine Waste, it has - together with Edelweiss - the legend of being the flower of eternal love as the leaves of the star do no dry out. “People had the tradition to give it do their beloved ones as a token of their eternal love." Nowadays it is a protected species that can not be collected and considered one of the emblematic species of Sierra Nevada. It is the symbol of the Sulayr Long Distance Footpath and can be seen on the wooden waymarkers of this GR-240. The Swiss botanist Edmond Boissier encountered the ´snow star´ on one of his explorations in July 1837 when he went up the Barranco de Benalcázar towards the summits. As he was the first to publish the Plantago nivalis, he is regarded as the author of this botanical name. A drawing can be found in his ´Voyage Botanique dans le Midi de l’Espagne pendant l’année 1837´ (page 181). We saw many ´snow stars´ in the valley of the Río Chico of Bérchules on the first Saturday of august. It is not a threatened species, so it is a species that any visitor interested in the local flora should encounter easily. What is not easy, is to see it in bloom, as this is only for a very short period.



Related articles:
- References on the local flora

Related links:
- On-line magazine Waste: Joyas botánicas de Sierra Nevada
- On-line magazine Waste: La flora endémica del macizo de Sierra Nevada

Related key words: plantaginaceae, plantagináceas, plantain, weegbreefamilie, wegerichgewächse, famille des plantaginacées, plantago thalackeri pau, nardus grasslands

The endemic flora of the Sierra Nevada

On this blog we quite regularly write posts on the local flora as we love the botanical wealth of the area. In the Sierra Nevada there are over 2,100 catalogued species and subspecies. Spain is the country with the highest number of endemics (176 national ones) and Sierra Nevada is the area with the highest concentration of endemic plant species in the whole of continental Europe (80 species according to the on-line magazine Waste). The idea that it is the only area where it can be enjoyed or photographed makes us feel priviliged when we see a plant endemic to the Sierra Nevada.  An ´endemismo nevadenses´ can sometimes only be seen in one or two locations within the mountain range. It is suggested by some people that we owe the high number of localised plants partly to the ice ages. During the last ice age, the only region with a climate favourable for plant life, was the present-day Mediterranean region. When the years became colder many plants shifted their range southwards where they took refuge on the relatively warm south-facing slopes of the mountains. The Betic Cordillera, to which the Sierra Nevada belonged, held many important refuges. As Europe warmed up again, some of these plants shifted back north, while others retreated to the high parts of the mountains and adapted to the prevailing conditions. This is why the summits of the Sierra Nevada, while appearing almost barren at first glance, in fact display the highest number of ´unique´ plants of the whole of Europe.  As many formed their own biological communities, visitors interested in the flora can easily see a number of unique species once they are at an altitude higher than 2,300 metres. Between thirty and forty percent are to be found in the marshy grasslands known as ´borreguiles´ or on the steep rocky slopes close to the summits known as ´canchales´. The uniqueness also implies a great risk. Endemic plants can easily become endangered or extinct because of their restricted habitat and their vulnerability to the actions of man or climate change. Fortunately almost all endemic plants can be found within the boundaries of the Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada and therefore monitored and protected. Most of them flower in July and August, so this is still the time to go out and enjoy the unique botanical jewels of the Sierra Nevada. We will continue to dedicate articles to them (see posts label flora-endemic), indicating where we encountered them, whether there were a large number or just a few and any pecularities we think are worth mentioning.



Related articles:
- References on the local flora
- Sempervivum minutum
- Boissier, discoverer of many Sierra Nevada plant species

Related links:
- On-line magazine Waste: La flora endémica del macizo de Sierra Nevada
- Gabriel Blanca López: Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada (pdf 18MB)

Borreguiles de Sierra Nevada

One of the habitats of the highest vegetation zones of the Sierra Nevada is locally known as ´borreguiles´.  These are wet pastures that can be found above 2,000 metres in the oro- and crioromediterranean levels. These grassy areas can be found near rivers, gullies or tarns and have the ability to accumulate agua. Some areas have a more or less constant humidity, and in others it might vary. Peat bogs, where the ground is permanently waterlogged by still water are scarce, but do exist. The ´borreguiles´ hold a large biodiversity of plants and about thirty-five percent of them are endemic species. This explains why these areas have always attracted botanists and nature lovers. Visitors of the high mountains that are interested in flora, will be suprised when they start exploring the green oases in a seemingly barren, dry landscape. ´Borrego´ means lamb in Spanish and explains the name given to the soft, grassy areas. Unfortunately the delicate balance of the ´borreguiles´ is seriously threatened by overgrazing, the change of water courses and tourism. On the on-line magazine Waste an excellent article ´Borreguiles de Sierra Nevada´ can be found with a list of fifty plants that inhabit these sites.

Chaenorrhinum glareosum or Sierra Nevada dwarf snapdragon

The Chaenorrhinum glareosum or ´Nevada dwarf snapdragon´ is one of the more than sixty endemic plants of Sierra Nevada. There are other snapdragon-like flowers in the massif, like the Chaenorrhinum villosum subsp granatense (´little dragons´) and Chaenorrhinum macropodum subsp macropodum, but this is the only one that can be found exclusively in Sierra Nevada. Its habitats are in the highest parts of the massive, above 2,500 metres in the ´pisos oro y crioromediterráneo´ (oromediterranean and crioromediterranean levels). The ´espuelilla´ or ´dragoncillo´ can be found on steep stony slopes or ´canchales´ (´pedregales móviles´ or ´cascajales sueltos´, gravelly areas with unstable schist slabs). Like the Viola crassiuscula, this perennial herb is able to sprout again after the stem has broken. This member of the figwort family also grows in psychro-xerophilous (cold and dry) pastures that are dominated by perennial grasses and small shrubs. It can also form part of the communities formed by species adapted to live in the cracks of rocks. These communities are very diverse and their composition is influenced by various factors such as orientation, steepness of the slope, level of sunlight and insolation, humidity, depth of the soil and the accessibility of the terrain for herbivorous mammals. This makes that each plant of such a community is linked to a characteristic microhabitat. As there are few insects in the highest parts of the massif, flowers need to compete to be pollinated. The flower needs to attract the insect by well developed petals with attractive colours. According to Gabriel García Guardia, the author of Flores silvestres de Andalucía, the Chaenorrhinum glareosum with its tiny purple flowers with yellow throats, is one of the most beautiful plants of the Sierra Nevada. Maybe that´s why it has been able to withstand to competition so far and is at the moment not considered rare or vulnerable. We have seen this mountain jewel a number of times, close to the top of the Mulhacén and close to the top of the Cerro del Gallo, amongst others.




Related articles:
- Guía de visita Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada
- References on the local flora

Related key words:
scrophulariaceae, escrofulariáceas, figwort family, helmkruidfamilie, braunwurzgewächse, famille de plantes dicotylédones

Iberis carnosa embergeri, carraspique de Sierra Nevada

The Iberis carnosa subsp embergeri is one of the more than sixty endemic plants of Sierra Nevada. It is a small type of candytuft with lovely white or pinkish flowers. Its habitat are pastures with little vegetation on steep rocky slopes and ´cascajares´ (steep slopes of relatively unstable mica-schist slabs). It grows in windy areas with a high insolation between 2,900 and 3,200 metres (criomediterranean level), often accompanied by Linaria glaciales, Viola crassiuscula and Artemisia. It starts flowering in June, whereas most other plants in this bioclimatic zone start flowering in July. It can also be found at the highest parts of the oromediterranean level, accompanied by Sideritis glacialis, Arenaria tetraquetra subsp. amabilis, Thymus serpylloides, Hormathophylla spinosa, Arenaria pungens and Erodium cheilanthifolium. It passed from the list of ´vulnerable´ to ´endangered´. One of the risks is overgrazing by herbivorous mammals. Tourism constitutes another threat. According to the information on this ´carraspique de Sierra Nevada´ in Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada there are only two populations (between 12000 and 15000 plants). These are close to classical hiking routes (Loma Pelada), and this is one of the reasons why it passed to the list of endangered species. This situation implies a great risk, if something happens to one of the populations, the situation becomes very alarming. We (think we) saw this endangered iberis close to the top of the Cerro del Gallo. If this is correct there must be another population. When we look at the small map in Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada on which the two known populations are located, we are to the right of them. We will try to find out whether this is true. If so this would be good news, as ´our´ iberis is relatively far from any classical walking route.

Related articles:
- Cerro del Gallo, the highest mountain of Bérchules
- References on the local flora

Related key words: brassicaceae, brasicáceas, brassicacées, cruciferae, crucifers, crucíferas, kruisbloemenfamilie, kreuzblütengewächse, crucifères, sierra nevada candytuft, sierra nevada scheefbloem, sierra nevada schleifenblume, sierra nevada ibéride

References on the local flora

We enjoy writing about the local wildlife as we are ourselves enchanted by how much the area with its unique biodiversity has to offer. Quite a number of texts on the local flora are written by Gabriel Blanca. This botanist and leading Spanish taxonomist is a professor at the University of Granada. He has dedicated part of his academic and scientific career to the study of the flora of eastern Andalusia and the study and conservation of endemic and threatened flora. An important publication that we often consult is Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada (pdf 18MB), published by the Universidad de Granada in 2001. Many guidebooks like Guía de visita Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada count on his contributions. We hope that our posts on the local flora and fauna are appreciated by those interested in the natural heritage of the Sierra Nevada, but that do not know Spanish. We use the texts of Gabriel Blanca and his collaborators as a source of information for our ´flora posts´. An important reference to which we quite regularly make direct links are the texts Merche S. Calle and Juan Enrique Gómez, authors of the Guía de Plantas of the online magazine Waste. Another important source of information is the publication Flores Silvestres de Andalucía de Gabriel García Guardia, published by Editorial Rueda in 1988.

Viola crassiuscula or Sierra Nevada violet

The Viola crassiuscula is one of the more than sixty endemic plants of Sierra Nevada. There are other violas in the massif, like Viola palustris and Viola riviniana, but this Nevada violet is the only one that can be found exclusively in Sierra Nevada above 2,500 metres. It is a perennial and multi-stemmed species (caespitose) with flowers that range from violet to pinkish to white. After flowering, small fruit capsules are produced that split open by way of three valves to release tiny seeds. As there are few insects in the high peak area, flowers need to compete to be pollinated. The flower needs to seduce the insect with attractive colours and well developed petals. The flower is relatively large compared to the size of the plant itself. In Sierra Nevada the precious viola can be found between cracks in the rock faces. It is small and it has a minimum of foliage in order to minimize the loss of water by transpiration. Having little folliage makes them also less interesting for the mountain goats. It finds shelter by the rocks so that the negative effect of the strong solar radiation, typical at this height, is minimal. The rocks also protect them from being eaten or trampled. These are a few examples of the adaptations through thousands of years to survive the harsh climatic circumstances of the ´pisos oro y crioromediterráneo´ (oromediterranean and crioromediterranean levels). The most striking adaptation is its ability to sprout from the root collar that goes as deep as the ´stable´ ground. Because of this adaptation, the Nevada violet can survive on steep stony slopes or ´canchales´. This are ´pedregales móviles´ or ´cascajales sueltos´, gravelly areas with unstable schist slabs. When the slates or stones move and the stems break, the plant is able to sprout again. Viola crassiuscula was scientifically catagolized by the French naturalist Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent (1778-1846), who published in 1820 his Florule de Sierra Nevada. Viola crassiuscula is listed as rare and vulnerable, and therefor included in the Lista roja de la flora vascular de Andalucía (Red List of Vascular Flora of Andalusia). It is said that it is more common where the human presence is more limited. Personally we did see the Viola crassiuscula at one of the busier areas, namely very close to the top of the Mulhacén. We also saw a number of these botanical jewels where we think very few people go, namely near the source of the Río Chico de Bérchules, not too far from the top of the Cerro del Gallo. We were really pleased to see a few white ones, which are said to be less common.

Related article:
-Guía de visita Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada
-References on the local flora

Related key words: violeta de sierra nevada, sierra nevada viooltje, sierra nevada veilchen, sierra nevada violette, violaceae, violet family, viooltjesfamilie, familie der veilchengewächse, famille des violacées

Saxifraga Nevadensis, the highest plant of Spain

We were pleasantly surprised by the number of flowering plants we saw close to the top of the Mulhacén last Sunday, the twelfth of July. We had read in a guide to the Natural Park of Sierra Nevada of the Junta de Andalucía that although this crioromediterranean level (altitudes above 2,900 metres) seems completely bleak, it in fact shelters more than sixty endemic species. But up to the moment you have witnessed this yourself, it might be difficult to imagine. We saw, amongst others, the endemic nevada violet (viola crassiuscula or violeta de Sierra Nevada) and tarragon (Chaenorrhinum glareosum or Espuelilla) while walking up the Loma de Mulhacén. While getting closer and closer to the summit, we became very curious to find out what actually would be the highest plant of Spain. It turned out to be the Saxifraga nevadensis or Romperrocas de Sierra Nevada. The author of the botanic name Saxifraga nevadenis is Edmond Boissier, who wrote about this Nevada saxifrage in his work Diagnoses plantarum orientalium novarum (1856). Different authorities on the flora of this national park, give a different minimum height of this plant according to the on-line magazine Waste it grows above 2,100 metres and on the website of the Ministerio del Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de España it says that it grows above 2,600 metres. On the website of Waste magazine we can also read that it is on the list of endangered species in Andalusia, the Lista Roja de la Flora Vascular de Andalucía. We took the photograph of this endemic plant about ten metres from the top, at about of 3,470 metres. This Nevada saxifrage is a member of the saxifrages or stone-breakers. The Latin word ´saxifraga´ means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin saxum ´rock´ or ´stone´ and ´frangere´, which means ´to break´. "It is usually explained by reference to certain saxifrages' ability to settle in the cracks of rocks. " This Saxifraga nevadensis is an archetypal saxifrage, but the name ´rock-breaker´ could have been used for many other species in this segment as well. It is incredible to see the variety of beautiful flowers that grow in the tiniest irregularity or fissure of the steep high slopes Sierra Nevada. There are saxifrages similar to the Saxifraga nevadensis to be found in the Pyrenees, like the Saxifraga pubescens. Other species of saxifraga to be found in Sierra Nevada are: Saxifraga erioblasta, Saxifraga granulata, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris subsp robusta and Saxifraga trabutiana.



Related articles:
- References on the local flora

Related links:
- On-line magazine Waste: La flora endémica del macizo de Sierra Nevada
- On-line magazine Waste: Series de vegetación,  rocas verticales

Related key words: family saxifragaceae, saxifragas, steenbreekfamilie, familie der steinbrechgewächse, famille des saxifragacées, nevada stone-breaker, nevada steenbreek, nevada steinbrech