This was the first time I had an opportunity to take a photo of this broom so that I could ID it. It's growing all through Extremadura and lots of Andalucia, but is very different from the more regular Spanish Broom which was growing when we were in the north near Portugal. This is Retama sphaerocarpa, though I can't find a common name for it in English.
On our way to a scenic viewpoint we visited the interesting ruins of Bobastro, part of a complex including a fortress, cave dwellings and a C9th Christian Mozarabic church. The church was carved into the sandstone rock on the site of the old fortress and the settlement was the refuge of Omar Ben Hafsún, a Muslim who converted to Christianity. He sought refuge here during his rebellion against the Emirate of Cordoba and their unfair taxation and mistreatment of the citizens.
At its peak there were about 1,500 people living in this area and there were cisterns to hold water (Keith is peering into one) which were carved out of the rock. People would have to climb down to the river to bring water back which was a feat in itself.
Originally this church would have had a roof but the site fell into disrepair in the C13th.
Despite the rock I found a number of wildflowers growing, some right out of what seemed like solid rock!
Top: Echium angustifolium, Narrow-leaved Bugloss
Below left: Jasione montana
Below right: Antirrhinum (possibly conversum)
The yellow flower has nothing to do with the plant that it is growing out of - talk about confusing! The whitish plant is Paronychia sp. but I've no idea what the yellow flower is. Paronchia is tiny and the flowers are held within these white bracts, so small that I couldn't photograph closer into it (with this camera).
Remains of walls which could have been part of the fortress or could be rooms relating to the church. There wasn't a lot of information there on site, so I have learned more about this place whilst writing this post.
This is a Spoonwing (Nenoptera bipennis) - Keith's photo on left and mine on right. As you can see they don't always perch in places which make for nice clean photos! Open the collage and look at their 'tails' - actually hindwings - they are amazing!
At the top of the hill where Bobastro is situated is a scenic viewpoint overlooking a dam.
I spied this interesting jumping spider which I think is Philaeus chrysops, and this is the male. The female is just browny colours as usual!
We then moved on and headed to the area of reservoirs. We passed where the entrance to the raised walkway path was and there were a lot of people headed there - you have to wear a hard hat so you can tell who is going on the walk. It would be impossible to turn around once you get on the walkway as there is little room to pass people on it, so I am very pleased we gave it a miss.
Just walking up to the mirador was tough enough for me as it involved a lot of steps, and even with my alpine stick I really struggled. K gave me his stick for coming back down which really helped take the weight off my knees and hips. I met a man coming up who was also going slowly and struggling with sticks. He asked how much further it was to the mirador. We got talking, and he told me he was recovering from Lyme Disease, and six months earlier he couldn't even walk. That's really scary as I didn't know the disease could affect you that badly. I hope he managed to get to the top as it was such a lovely view.
The water was such a lovely rich colour.
As you might have noticed, my brother is always in my photos, whether I like it or not!! 😂
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).
Finally a cropped image of a Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) - it was high overhead and K identified it thanks to the Merlin app. It's the first one of these eagles that we have seen, so one of the few lifers that we saw this trip!
So all in a great day full of history, amazing scenery and wonderful wildlife!
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