Northeastern Spain

April / May 2016

Part 5 : Cap de Creus

Century Plant (Agave americana)

The Cap de Creus is a natural park, located just 25km south of the French border, that encompasses 190km2 of windswept rocky headland.

Jersey Thrift (Armeria arenaria)

Around the coastline, many salt-tolerant plants can be found, such as Jersey Thrift...

Jersey Thrift (Armeria arenaria)

Tree Aloe (Aloe arborescens)

Cretan Viper's Bugloss (Echium creticum)

...but it was on the rocky grasslands on the higher ground around the St Sebastian monastery that I found the highest wildflower diversity.

Cretan Viper's Bugloss (Echium creticum)

Cretan Viper's Bugloss (Echium creticum)

White Ramping-fumitory (Fumaria capreolata)

Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum)

Galactites tomentosa

 

Mallow Bindweed (Convolvulus althaeoides)

Mallow Bindweed (Convolvulus althaeoides)

Urospermum dalechampii

Urospermum dalechampii

European Umbrella Milkwort (Tolpis barbata)

Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinia maculata)

Common Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus)

Annual Rock Rose (Tuberaria guttata)

Annual Rock Rose (Tuberaria guttata)

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

Large Mediterranean Spurge (Euphorbia characias)

Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris)

Wall (Lasiommata megera)

Despite the temperatures starting to warm up, butterfly activity was still very sparse. Wall and Swallowtail were the most commonly encountered species.

CommonSwallowtail (Papilio machaon)

Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus)

European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

All the usual scrubland birds, such as Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Goldfinch, Linnet, Nightingale etc., were present but were all a bit skittish and wouldn't allow me to get within 50m of them before flying off. The only exception was a single male Greenfinch.

European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

Ants tending their aphid flock

NE Spain pt.4 NE Spain pt.6