With a slightly worrying weather forecast (precipitation
3mm 60o/o chance)
13 hardy individual GONHS members
arrived at La Refugio de Juanar after a drive up into the misty Sierra Blanca
hills just past the white pueblo of Ojen taking the winding track leading to
the Refugio we were treated to the bright pink blooms of Echium albicans. Alas we needed our rain jackets and umbrellas
to get to our coffee.
After a lovely leisurely breakfast of cafe, toastada and fruit cake, at the Refugio we emerged into sunshine to commence our walk. Sadly due to the damp terrain it was decided that we would not take the planned path up the steep and now slippery path to the summit but the less demanding flat circular walk towards the view point.
We wandered on up around a bend towards the plateaux and heard the distinct sound of firecrest high above us in the pine trees, Jill managed to see them and point them out as they flitted busily from branch to branch.
Once onto the flatter terrain of open maquis
a jay flew behind us and hopped through the branches of an olive tree and we
enjoyed a group of Tassle hyacinth's and saw plenty of the taller Reseda barrelieri.
Tassle Hyacinth Reseda Barrelieri
We took a left hand path heading towards the
direction of the coast the rain holding off but a chilly easterly wind keeping
us moving, Linda was lucky to spot a beautiful tightly closed roosting small
blue butterfly sadly the only one of the day, in more clement weather this area
is abundant with butterflies.
We headed into a pine forest with blue, great
and crested tits calling around us and reached the first of the breath taking
view points with Marbella and the Mediterranean
spread out below us the mist clearing just enough. We continued up to
the official viewpoint and enjoyed more views and some beautiful Cistus
monspeliensis. Alas the chilly easterly and a few large spots of rain had us
hurrying back to the shelter of the pines
Cistus Monseliensis Pallensis Spinosa
We circled our way back towards the main path
and continued on the track to other viewpoint this time looking down the coast
towards the straits and Gibraltar but as the advance group approached it they
found the winds very cold and retreated quickly so we decided to take the more
sheltered track into more sheltered woodland. Here we were quickly rewarded
with the most spectacular views of clumps of the beautiful and enchanting
Narrow-leaved Orchid (Cephalanthera longifolia) they were tall and looked like
jewels amongst the damp rusty colour pine needles covering the forest floor. In
these woodland we had great views of chaffinch a pair of busy nuthatch and noisy blackbirds and some of us heard a
distant but distinct drumming of a great spotted woodpecker. We also found a
mirror orchid ( so called as it has the shape of the wicked queens mirror in
snow white)
Narrow Leaved Orchid
Mirror Orchid
On our return walk we were treated to great
views of a perched booted eagle (light phase) taking flight at our approach and
circling above us and also a cheeky jay hopping around the base of olive trees
gave us good views of it's beautiful distinctive plumage.
We got back to our cars and although a bit
chilly were grateful that the rains had stayed away for us, some of the group
then made our way to a nearby venta where we had a lovely, entertaining and
very inexpensive lunch.
This area with its lovely mountain walks and
spectacular scenery is highly recommended and we will certainly be doing it
again in hopefully more clement weather.
Text Jill Yeoman Photos Linda Maley
The
Flora of the Sierra Blanca: a brief account of its diversity Michael Tiedtke
The Mediterranean vegetation evolved as a
result of climate change from a tropical to a Mediterranean climate with long
dry summers and cool wet winters. The preceding vegetation consisting of
Laurophyll trees, palms etc. now exists only as relicts in Macaronesia
(Canaries, Azores and Madeira) and the southwest corner of Andalucia (e.g. Laurus
nobilis). In Mediterranean regions, the ensuing widespread dense forests of
Holm oak (Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia) largely disappeared mainly
due to fire, animal grazing and agricultural and forestry purposes. This is
also evident in the Sierra Blanca, where large areas are now covered by olive
groves, pine forests (Pinus radiata, P. pinea and P. pinaster),
Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) and Eucalyptus globulos as well
as by maquis (a dense community of small trees and shrubs less than 3m high)
and garrigue (a more open community of small shrubs less than ½ m high).
Most of the Sierra Blanca, particularly at
higher altitudes, consists of calcareous rocks ranging from limestone to
dolomite. Silicate soil conditions occur at lower altitudes favouring quite
different plant communities adjusted to more acid soil conditions.
A sustainable plant (and animal) diversity
depends crucially on the size of the habitat area as described by Wilson in his
book on ‘The Diversity of Life’. The Sierra Blanca cannot be regarded in
isolation but has to be seen as part of a larger mountain range with similar
soil conditions comprising the adjacent Sierra Mijas, Sierra de Las Nieves and
Sierra Grazalema, which to a large extent share the same population of plants.
The rich diversity of the flora comprising over 1000 species of vascular plants
may be due to several reasons: the absence of a permanent ice cap during the
last ice age ending ca. 10,000 years ago, the Mediterranean climate, a variable
range of altitude and soil conditions, the replacement of monotonous uniform
forests by more open types of vegetation and the introduction of species from
other areas of Spain mainly by dispersal of seeds by wind, birds etc. Diversity
is particularly high on calcareous rocky slopes, where only some small trees
grow due to poor soil quality as a result of erosion, thereby promoting the
growth of a large variety of shrubs, perennials, annuals and bulbous plants
e.g. the majority of the over 30 orchids observed in the Sierra Blanca. Some
plant families are particularly well represented such as Cistaceae (considered
the typical Mediterranean family per se with Helianthemum, Cistus etc),
Labiatae (Thymus), Orchidaceae (Orchis and Ophrys), Compositae and
Scrophulariaceae.
The Sierra Blanca offers several
sign-posted walks across different habitats. The circular walk with start and
finish at the Refugio de Juanar (where Charles de Gaulle wrote his memoirs) is
most interesting - in particular the east facing rocky slope (first quarter of
the walk) which habitats a rich flora of Mediterranean plants.
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