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                         a   S T A M M E R  project              

2007 June 16 & 17,  Saturday and Sunday

 I finished the two main drainage channels on either side of the pond and terrace. They have at the same time the function of paths and this will ensure that the soil will stay sufficiently compacted with little vegetation and favour the rainwater flow.

There is only 30 cm of rainwater in the deepest part of the pond and still little life to be observed so I decided to add some litres of a nearby pond that seemed to be healthy. More life presented itself right next to our caravan: a little frog had been trapped in a plastic bottle with rainwater. We liberated the poor creature and lead it to the promised land of our pond where he will hopefully become the patriarch of many future generations..

The pond seen from the north-west.
Sunday 14:19

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I detected more vertebrate life: this beautiful Ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus) had made itself almost indistinguisable in the vegetation of Melilotus altissimum. To get a better impression of this impressive animal I added a photograph I took 2 years ago somewhere else in Aragon. It can measure more than 80 cm from head to tail and is the largest lizard in Europe. It is quite common in the Western Mediterranean.

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Two more species of the Centaurea genus flowering these days: Centaurea calcitrapa (Purple star thistle) and Centaurea alba. The first one is also called Caltrop (from calcitrapa) with reference to the weapon cq instrument consisting of a iron ball with four or more spikes. The more than 2 cm long spikes of this plant are really awe-inspiring. His close relative Centaurea alba is much more modest.

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Two of these wild onions were flowering: they are Round Headed Leeks (Allium sphaerocephalon). They are so striking that I plan to harvest some of the new onions that are formed at the base of the stem and plant them in other places.

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This flower, Lomelosia stellata, I had already seen flowering last autumn but now they could be seen in greater numbers on different places on the terrain. The photograph of the peculiar seeds was taken last October.

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Phleum phleoides is a another characteristic species of xerothermic grasslands from the Festuco-Brometea class. It had now developed its typically red stems that were completely green in May.

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The plantations of the rock garden were doing fine. Absolute leader is Pale Stonecrop (Sedum sediforme ) which is especially vigorous, followed by White Stonecrop (Sedum album) and Common Houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum). Much worse were the results of Goldmoss Stonecrop (Sedum acre) who seemed to have spent all its energy in desperate flowering (see the extenuated plant in the lower right corner). Of some smaller Sedum species (like Sedum dasyphyllum) the results are still uncertain.

I have to keep these areas free from 'weeds' of course in order to give the Stonecrops a chance and let the stones stand out. The colour of the stones (sandstone) is almost exactly the same as the soil which may not come as a surprise since they come from the same place.

introduction
floristic catalogue
faunistic catalogue
contact
index
gallery 1: 2006-2012
gallery 2: 2012-
map
>> 2007 Jun 30
<< 2007 Jun  9