Category Archives: Nature notes diary

Bugs and beasties, Nature notes diary

Butterflies on the wing in June in the Sierra de Grazalema

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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.

Read more about butterflies in Spain over at Wildside Holidays: https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/butterflies-found-in-andalusia/

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. 🙂

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Bugs and beasties, Nature notes diary, Walking in Nature

Insects in June in the Sierra de Grazalema

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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.

Southern Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthamelii).
Insects in June in the Sierra de Grazalema
Southern Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthamelii).
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Nature notes diary, Sierra de Grazalema, Walking in Nature

Early summer wildflowers in the Sierra de Grazalema

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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.

Early summer wildflowers in the Sierra de Grazalema
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.

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Clives Ramblings, Grazalema, Hiking and walking, Nature notes diary, Places to visit, Sierra de Grazalema, Walking in Nature

A week of August day trips in Grazalema

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In Grazalema we are spoilt for choices between the myriad of places to visit. During a week of August day trips, a selection of the most diverse took me to historical sites, natural cave formations, a shaded woodland walk, botanic garden (El Bosque), rivers, lakes , a museum (Palacio Mondrago, Ronda) and an early morning walk above the village of Grazalema through the Sierra de Endrinal

Even the lightest breeze is appreciated when you are out and about in the sierras during August. Setting off with sun cream, hat and plenty of chilled water, even late into the afternoons the sun shows little desire to lower in the sky.

The brilliant blue skies of August can be relied upon to form a beautiful backdrop to most images with occasional pure white fluffy clouds offering an interesting colour contrast.

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Clives Ramblings, Nature notes diary, Sierra de Grazalema

A visit to the botanic garden in the village of El Bosque.

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Regular visits to the Botanic Garden in El Bosque village allow us to see the local wild plants as they change through the seasons.

Mid June is the best time to see some of the parks endemics in full flower. Phlomis x margaritae is a hybrid shrub in the Sage family that occurs naturally on a mountain named Margarita – hence the plant name. This is placed in the “rupicola” section (rock gardens) at the highest point of the meandering pathways. It is a plant endemic to the Sierra de Grazalema park area. This meaning that it is not found in the wild anywhere else in the world.

In the same rock gardens and in full flower at this time of year are the orange blooms of the cliff dwelling Grazalema poppy (Papaver rupifragum) which although it was thought that this plant was exclusive to this mountain range it has also been recorded in Morocco.

The delicate lemon flowers of (Sideritis incana subsp occidentalis) are easily overlooked on a mountain side and this again is only from the Grazalema area.

The sky was a beautiful deep blue and I love the combination of dark green trees and fresh white clouds against such a colour. My progress around the gardens was slow as there is so much to see and photograph at this time of year. Even seed pods from plants that flowered earlier are very photogenic.

The shaded areas beneath the mature trees on visits to the Botanic Garden in El Bosque village are always welcome at this time of year!

On my first visits here I used to write the plant names that I wanted to learn onto a note pad, now I cheat and take a photo of the sign along with the plant pictures – so much quicker!

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