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| The lakes at the Barancos de Gebas |
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The Sierra de Espuna, natural space of great scenic beauty and interest, situated in the very centre of the region of Murcia,
with something more than 25,000 hectares forming part of the Andalusian ranges and stretching between the regions of Mula
and the Guadalentín valley. It takes up land from Alhama, Aledo, Totana, Mula and Pliego. Its great natural richness is so
important that in 1978 10,000 hectares were declared as a Natural Park and nowadays they are considering the possible extension
of its parametres and its reclassification. In addition, since 1973 more than 14,000 hectares have been declared as a Natural
Hunting Reserve.
Sierra Espuña was one of the first great forestial repopulations in Spain. At the beginning of the century, under the
direction of the engineer 'Don Ricardo Cordorníu Starico', a large part of the Sierra surface was repopulated. Nowadays, it´s
ICONA (Instituto para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza - Institute for the Conservation of Nature) who are continuing with
this work.
From an orographic point of view its made up of a heightened massif of deep interior vallies. Its geological materials, the
oldest of the Precambrica era were affected by the jack knifing Alpine and are mainly made up of sandstone, dolomite, marl
and limestone which have allowed the characteristic formation known as "Karst", giving place to the "Karstico"
countryside; produced by the disolving of the carbonites of the limestone rocks eroded by rainwater and snow, like "El
Gigante" where the erosion has created very sophisticated shapes in the rocks. Other places of interest are: 'El Purgatorio,
Las Alquerías, La Arboleja, El Cerro de las Cabras, La Fuente del Sol, Las Cunas' - from where you can enjoy a beautiful view
of the mountainous countryside-; 'La Umbría' or 'Pozos de la Nieve' - which we will talk about in more detail in the Places
of Interest. The heights above sea level vary from 200 metres in the areas closest to the Gaudalentín Valley and 1,585 metres
at its highest point, the famous 'Pico Morrón' of Totana or Espuña. To the South of this peak you can find one of the other
most interesting areas called Collao Bermejo at 1,200 metres, it is a traditional area for hiking. The western area is taken
up by 'LLano de la Cabras'. Another point of orographic interest is the region called 'Morrón Largo'.
Climate
Its climate is Mediterranean with mild temperatures. can be cold high up, but the winters tend to be short and warm, with
hot dry summers.
Although Espuña enjoys a microclimate somewhat more humid than the rest of the region, with average annual temperatures
ranging between 13,5 ºc and in the cold periods temperatures lower than 7ºc; these temperatures vary with altitude, including
reaching below 0ºc at 1,000 metres altitude some days of the year.
The average rainfall is around 5000mm, with October and April being the rainiest months. Occasionally, in Spring and Autumn
this rain takes the form of hailstones and, although in scarse proportion, in Jaunary and February it takes the form of snow,
these months enjoying the snowiest days. The summer months are referred to as the dry period.
Hydrography and Vegetation
Actual rivers do not flow through the Sierra although some scattered springs run throughout the Sierra: La Carrasca Malvariche,
Los Algarrobos, Casa Rosa, streams and ravines which flow into the rivers Pliego and Guadalentín. The former recieves water
from la Hoz and Malvariche and the latter collects those from Molinos, Arcos, Algeciras, Lebor and Espuña. These streams are
the cause of great erosion and drag materials in times of torrential rain, but the erosive action is less serious in the Sierra
due to the blanket of vegetation which covers it, as shouold be the case for high mediterranean mountains, but man´s actions
and the successive repopulations have transformed it and nowadays the mountainous countryside is dominated by three types
of pine groves of repopulation; The Carrasco pine grove - Pinus halepensis - an example of the Rodeno pine grove - Pinus pinaster
- and the Negral pine grove - Pinus nigra salzmanni.
The highest areas of the 'Sierra Espuña', 'Macizo de Gigante' and 'Carache', their peaks continuosly punished by the wind,
exhibit a prickly scrub whose plants are stuck down to the floor, looking like small prickly pillows of little height (they
barely reach a few inches) which mix plants known as the "culo de Monja" - Ennama anthyllis ; you can also see black
sabina - Juniperus phoenicea - and small dwarf pine scrubs - Quercus rotundifolia. The undergrowth formed by the scrub species
like Juniper - Juniperus oxycedrus - , negral espino - Rhamnus lycioides - Kermes Oak - Quercus coccifera - a genista variety
- Genista longypes.
The small sources of water which are found in some spots of the Sierra form actual small streams with elm trees - Ulmus
minosr - black poplars - Populusnigra - or honeysuckle - Lonicera implexa. Small springs also flow to the Espuña riverbed
where its easy to recognise some plants such as the maidenhair well - Adiantus capillus veneris - and ferns which live around
the springs and fountain sources and which are still used as a way to decorate houses; poplar trees - Populus alba -, willow
trees - Salix pedicellata - and the poplar reeds appear on the riverbed of the permanent brooks.
The vegetation is always more exuberant in these areas that have stream beds than in the slopes of the mountains.
Fauna
As the vegetation is varied, so is the fauna. In Sierra Espuña there are squirrels, as the pine cones scattered at the
foot of the pine trees demonstrate; although they are not usually spotted on first glance, in Spring and Autumn its easy to
spot them due to the greater activity, given that at this time of year they collect their food: acorns and pine nuts in order
to survive during the winter and in the spring to feed their young. The squirrel which inhabits the Sierra is the grey squirrel
- Sciurusvulgaris hoffmanni-. Alongside this species we can find: hares - lepus capensis - rabbits - Oryctolagus curuculus
- wild boar - Sus Scrofa - jays - Garrulus glandarius - and snakes - Malpolon monspesularius - . Also, preditors such as foxes
- Vulpes vulpes - wild cats - Felix Silvestris - genet - Genetta genetta - which are very adept at hunting.
As you go up the masses of the Espuña you can make out birds of prey such as the Golden Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos - the
sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus, kestrel - Falco tinonculus - goshawk - accipiter gentillis - and others like choughs - Pyrrhocarax
pyrrhocorax - rock martins - Ptyonoprogne rapestris - . At dusk you can see nocturnal birds of prey like owls - Athene noctua.
In addition, there are also sedentary birds like the magpie - Pica pica - and jackdaw - Corvus monedula. In winter migratory
birds appear which nest in the Sierra, like the Thrush - Turdus philomelos – and blackbirds- Turdus menila.
In the brooks and fountain springs you can find green frogs - Rana perezi - Salamanders - Salamandra salamandra - and,
giving beauty and colour to the countryside, butterflies - Aricia morronensis - and reptiles like the angry viper - Vipera
latasti - and lots of other small animals which vary according to the habitat that the Sierra provides, whether its forest,
rocky places, mountainous slopes, brooks or springs.
In 1970 ICONA incorporated the "muflon del Atlas o arrui" - Ammotragus lervia - (similar to mountain goat with
twisted horns) to the area, an animal easily acclimatised to the Sierra and which breeds easily. Nowadays more than 500 inhabit
the Sierra.
Access to Sierra Espuña, in which Totana shares jurisdiction with Alhama, means you have to go inside a natural park,
with its high mountainous land, where you find nature intimately intertwined with man.
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