Cumbres Verdes and around the Jardin Botanico la Cortijuela, Granada Province, Spain.

A morning plant hunting with Anita.

 

Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli).

I drove up to Cumbres Verdes where I was going to meet Anita and as I was quite early I had a walk in the woods nearby where I found Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea), Southern Early Purple (Orchis olbienis) and Dense-flowered Orchids (Neotinea maculata) as well as Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Bombycilaena discolor, Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and as I got back to the car a singing Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea). 

Biscutella laxa???????

I met Anita and we drove out to the Botanic gardens where there is a chain across the track preventing you going further in the car so we got our kit together and started to walk further along the track through the Pine woodlands.

Sierra Nevada Narcissus (Narcissus nevadensis).

Sierra Nevada Narcissus (Narcissus nevadensis).

Near the car I heard and saw Iberian Green (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Along the track we found possible Biscutella laxa before we turned off and headed up the hill into a bit of a clearing, on the way up the bank we had lots of  Common Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus) and then after a scramble and struggle through the thicket the target species the Sierra Nevada Narcissus (Narcissus nevadensis) but unfortunately we should have been there a week earlier as they were a tad past their best but still great to see.

Italian Man Orchid (Orchis Italica).

Shrubby Plantain (Plantago sempervirens).

In the same area we also had Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana), Angular Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum odoratum), a Monkshood (Aconitum) species which was still only in leaf, Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) and Paeonia coriacea.

Dwarf Snapdragon (Chaenorhinum villosum).

Madwort (Alyssum serpyllifolium).

Onosma tricerosperma subsp. granatensis.

We took a different route back down the hill as the scrub on the way up had been a bit thick but this turned out to be not one of my best ideas and turned in to a bit of a hard route but eventually we reached the track again and returned to the car, on the way we did see Polygala boissieri, Early Purple (Orchis mascula) and Italian Man Orchid (Orchis Italica) and Shrubby Plantain (Plantago sempervirens).

Pheasants eye (Adonis annua).

Violet Horned Poppy (Roemeria hybrida).

Corn buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis).

We returned to the car and then dropped back down towards Cumbres Verdes but stopped on the way to check a spot where we found Onosma tricerosperma subsp. granatensis, Madwort (Alyssum serpyllifolium), Dwarf Snapdragon (Chaenorhinum villosum) and Roadside Toadflax (Linaria aeruginea).

African Mustard (Malcolmia africana).

Biscutella species needing a name ????????

Weed Silene (Silene conoidea).

Further along the track back down we stopped by a cereal field and checked arable weeds finding Pheasants eye (Adonis annua), Violet Horned Poppy (Roemeria hybrida), Corn buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis), African Mustard (Malcolmia africana), Weed Silene (Silene conoidea), Scrophularia canina, Linaria hirta as well as a couple of species that need names.

Linaria hirta.

Another stop was made just down the road were we walked up into the Pine woodland were we found several spike of Dense-flowered (Neotinea maculata) and more spikes of Early Purple Orchids (Orchis mascula).

Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus).

Cercopis intermedia.

At a point  after the bar on the way down we made a roadside stop finding Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata), Cercopis intermedia, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua).

Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata).

Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

We also saw lots of French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), many of which had the Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana) on the flower heads. 

Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana).

Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana).

Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana).

In the same area we found Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Southern Early Purple Orchid (Orchis olbienis) and Salvia Cistus (Cistus salviifolius).

Salvia Cistus (Cistus salviifolius).