The magnificent Corona de Rey (King's crown)
The warm weather during April and May means that the Pyrenees are already bursting with life and lots of species of wildflowers that I wouldn’t normally expect to see at this time of year are already flowering – these are all photos taken on my hikes over the last couple of weeks.
Saxifraga Longifolia are one of the specialities of the Pyrenees. Known locally as Corona del Rey (Kings Crown) they grow slowly on cliff faces for about 4 or 5 years before exploding into flower for just one season before dying. The flower stem can be up to 60 cm tall and is covered in small white flowers.
Spanish Moon Moth - a huge moth with a wingspan of almost 15cm
This Spanish Moon Moth was a fantastic find. It was the biggest moth I’ve ever seen with a wingspan approaching 15cm and had fantastic colours. They live in pine forests and are quite rare so it was a real privilege to see it.
Waterfalls in Ordesa
The Cascada del Estrecho in the Ordesa Valley
The waterfalls in Ordesa are in full flow at the moment with the warm early summer weather melting the snow from the peaks above. You pass a series of fantastic waterfalls as you walk along the valley floor with my favourites being the Casacada del Estrecho and the Grados de Soasa.
The woods are also very pretty at the moment with the bright green new leaves of the birch trees contrasting with the darker green needles of the evergreen pines and silver fir.
The cliffs of Ordesa with beech and pine woods below
Ibon de la Sierra
The cirque of Rincon de Balsera
Explored the remote Ibon de la Sierra and was rewarded with great views and wildlife including a lammergeier, chamois, kestrels and my first marmots of the season.
It’s an area of the Valle de Tena that I’d wanted to hike in for ages but never seemed to get round to it. It’s a long walk in but really worth it as you get to some really wild valleys lying under the imposing peak of Punta Escarra.
Stemless Gentians - one of my favourite early flowers
Peña Oroel
The cliffs of Peña Oroel
Peña Oroel at 1769m stands just outside Jaca and it’s cliffs are home to dozens of Griffon vultures. Being slightly south of the main chain means that you get fantastic views across a vast number of peaks. In fact Aneto, Possets and Perdido – the three highest peaks in the Pyrenees can be seen from the summit. I was surprised to hear that our friend George whose lived in the area for almost 30 years and climbed more peaks than I can name hadn’t been up there so last Friday we took a quick trip to the summit. read more…
The Iberian Lynx
European Lynx at La Cuniacha animal park in the Valle de Tena
