There are three main types of rock present in the Sierra de Andújar where we find ourselves, granite, quartzite and slate, with granite composed of quartz, feldspar and mica being the star of the landscape.
The fragmentation and disintegration of granite in contact with the atmosphere, water and the action of living beings, "weathering", and its action gives rise to different types of reliefs and shapes: berrocales, isolated bowling pins, cavalry stones, sandbanks and surfaces flat with pilancones or piles, all of them typical of the area and that you can easily see.
On these skeletal soils pinkish plants grow together with species of mosses and lichens that despite their modest size make up a habitat of community interest..
You will be able to locate species of these organisms not only in rocks and soil in the form of scales covering the stone in ocher, gray, green tones ... but also in branches and plant remains, such as green hair, indicators of the good environmental quality of the air..
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Resultados de traducción
In Finca El Altozano there is a great biodiversity. With an average altitude of 585 m and a temperate Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot and dry summers, and with rainfall of between 600 and 800 mm per year, the right conditions are created for the existence of a rich variety of fauna and flora; In addition, the orientation of the slopes, the altitude, and the characteristics of the soil provide a unique ecosystem with holm oaks, cork oaks, wild olive trees, strawberry trees and gall oaks, cornicabra, labiérnagos and barberries without forgetting different types of dense scrub of scrubland, which thrive where the forest has been degraded or where the edaphological conditions do not allow the development of arboreal formations. Aromatic such as rosemary and lavender, broom, different species of rockrose jaguarzo such as sticky rockrose or labdanum whose mission is to secrete waxes and oils that prevent desiccation and also mastic and kermes oak grow quickly and protect the soil that, without protection trees, it could be quickly lost by the action of rain and runoff.
On the banks of the seasonal streams oleanders, and other plants, such as taray and tamujo create a shrubby band around their channels. We can't forget the wild orchids and lilies splashing the hillsides with color in spring..
Given the mass of pine forest from old reforestation, logging and thinning work is carried out every year to restore and maintain the autochthonous Mediterranean ecosystem.
In this natural habitat, and especially in areas where the vegetal tangle is present, live wild boars, foxes, dormouse, mongoose and, of course, rabbits and hares and countless birds that seek refuge here and the nutritious fruits of some of the bushes and surrounding plants.
In these peaceful scrub and holm oak forests of Sierra Morena, families of deer and the last specimens of the Iberian lynx also find their refuge - Lynx pardinus, a very territorial predator, stealthy and solitary except in mating seasons (December-January) or breeding (March- April), very difficult to observe in the middle of nature due to its natural reaction to blend in with the vegetation, a unique and extraordinary species due to its beauty and scarcity of specimens in the world, but at the same time fragile as it depends above all on the rabbit as food for its survival; Therefore, to preserve the species, releases of rabbits are carried out sporadically under the supervision of the Junta de Andalucía. More active at twilight and at night with the first rays of the sun the lynx tends to lie on granite stones to receive the warmth of the rock.
The magpies and long-tailed birds that are abundant in the reserve are good indicators of the nearby presence of lynxes and other predators, since through their sounds and movements they betray their presence.
Along with these birds, there are others such as the Great-billed, shrike, warbler, wren, chickadee, finch, bee-eater, hoopoe, robin, woodpecker, oriole, blue tit, redstart, and many more that, depending on the time of year, entertain us with their sounds and songs. In these places, almost half of all the usual birds in the Iberian Peninsula associated with forests are represented, among them the raptors; It is territory, among others, of imperial, royal, booted or short-toed eagles, griffon and black vultures, goshawks, falcons, Egyptian vultures, kestrels, kites, owls, owlets, scops or owls.
As part of this natural, healthy and balanced environment, we cannot fail to mention our sky with Starlight quality certificate for its low light pollution and close to 60% clear nights, ideal for astrologers and astrophotographers. This certification endorsed by the Man & Biosphere committee of UNESCO, by the World Tourism Organization and by the International Astronomical Union as well as by other environmental agreements such as the RAMSAR agreement, accredits this mountain range as the best places in Europe to observe the sky.
With all these wonderful ingredients, flora and fauna of this small corner of the world, you only have to connect and feel part of it, it is a gift from Nature, enjoy it.