There is always a marked difference between the first and second parts of this month as plants succumb to the intense heat and set their seeds. Areas that have held high moisture levels during the winter and spring will now come into their own with ribbons of bright pink Oleanders mapping the watercourses with Penny Royal and Apple Mint accompanying them. Climbing higher, aromatic herbs tucked into rock crevices in the mountains will be attracting bees and butterflies with their nectar rich blooms. Read on for more wildlife in July in the Sierra de Grazalema
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!
Road side verges are full of colour and cereal fields can turn red with poppies or yellow with false fennel during late May and into June. As the weeks progress spring blooms will be turning to seed and the golden browns of summer will begin to dominate the lower landscapes. Howeve,r the later flowering of the mountainous plants means that there is still plenty to discover in what is known as the ‘hedgehog zone’. Here are a few of the June flowers in the Sierra de Grazalema to look out for.
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!
These delicate insects can be seen in a multitude of colours, patterns and sizes, ranging from 3 to 10 cm and from plain white to jazzy orange mosaics. There are 80+ species of butterflies on the wing in June in the Sierra de Grazalema. Some are rare and localised, others are common throughout Europe.
A hot sunny day in June, proved to be a good time to see a variety of butterflies whilst walking on the Sierra de Endrinal footpath above the village of Grazalema. Some species were numerous, others in singles and not all of them posed to be photographed, but this will give you an idea of what butterflies you might be able to see in Grazalema. Heres the list of the butterflies seen on the day and a gallery of images of some of them. 🙂
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!
Summer time is when many insects reach the adult phase of their life. They may have spent months, even years as a larva, drab in colour and unable to move far, possibly living underwater or underground. Now, in this last stage of their lifecycle, they might be brightly coloured, able to fly or to emit sounds and so they become more obvious to us.
Insects are a very important part of the food chain on which we depend. We also rely heavily on insects for their ability to pollinate much of our food crops, and so they deserve at least a moment of our time. Here is a tiny selection of Insects that can be found in June in the Sierra de Grazalema.
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!
May is a fabulous time to walk, cycle or drive through the mountains to see the early summer wildflowers in the Sierra de Grazalema. Roadside verges, pastures and scrubland turn glorious colours with a varied selection of flowering plants. The springtime rains have ensured a vivid display and many plants compete for space in a hurry to flower and set their seeds before the ground dries out and bakes during the summer months. Hillsides can turn yellow with shrubby Retama, whereas the many meadows are a tapestry of pastel shades brimming with annuals. Many plants from the April wildflowers page still continue to bloom.
Crambe filiformis
Wild flowers adorn every corner with a riot of colour, there are far too many to mention and only being amongst them will you sense the variety. As for the impressive, then the giant fennel lives up to its name with a 2-3 metre stalk! Crambe filiformis has to be the opposite end of the scale with its minute wispy white flowers on delicate strands.
The unusual Blue aphyllanthes has starry flowers amongst a hedgehog dome of rush-like leaves, while the giant squill makes a pyramid of individual blooms which attract some lovely green beetles. The exotic looking Spanish nigella is lovely in bud, flower or seed, with each stage attractive on its own.
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!
