Different types of garrigue and maquis environments are available a short drive from the centre. These range from semi-open scrubland to closed green oak forests.
Scrublands are characteristic habitats of the Mediterranean region, and have been shaped by human activities for centuries including clearance by fires and the grazing of livestock. At a broad scale, Mediterranean scrublands can be defined as “garrigue”, which are found on calcareous soils and “maquis”, which are found on acidic ones.
Open garrigue habitat
Garrigue
Water drains rapidly through the thin calcareous soils of garrigue, making this a generally dry environment, dominated by drought-tolerant plants. The larger shrubs are made up of Holm Oaks and Prickly Juniper, while smaller Scorpion Brooms and Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) grow in cracks in the rocks.
Prickly Juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus)
Scorpion Brooms (Genista scorpius)
Garrigue is typically an open environment, but where succession allows the trees to fully establish, they can form closed canopies of evergreen Holm Oak forest.
In areas where there are slightly deeper soils, the wildflower community is much richer, supporting many species of orchids, Blue Aphyllanthes and spring flowers such as Crimean Irises and Rush-leaf Jonquils (Narcissus assoanus).
Holm Oaks (Quercus ilex)
Blue Aphyllanthes (Aphyllanthes monspeliensis)
Crimean Irises (Iris lutescens)
Early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes)
Maquis
In contrast to garrigue, maquis is found on acidic soils, typically of schist. These are less porous rocks, which hold more water and lead to a lusher floral assemblage. Typical shrubs of the maquis include Strawberry Trees and Tree Heaths, while Heathers can be found on the understorey.
Strawberry Trees (Arbutus unedo) and heather (Calluna vulgaris)
Tree Heath (Erica arborea)
As the schist does not drain as readily as limestone, streams and pools can be found in these areas, where more water-loving flora can grow.
The floral diversity and habitat complexity of the Mediterranean scrublands supports a huge variety of invertebrates. Pollinators include Scarce Swallowtail butterflies and Spanish Festoons, the larval foodplants of which (Aristolochia sp.) grow widely in the area.
Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
Spanish Festoons (Zerynthia rumina)
Specialist predators include European Owlflies, which hunt for airborne prey, while Mediterranean Conehead Mantises rely on their excellent camouflage as sit-and-wait predators. Among the limestone rockpiles, the Red-bellied Jumping Spider can be found, the males of white are very brightly coloured.
European Owlflies (Libelloides coccajus)
Mediterranean Conehead Mantises (Empusa pennata)
Red-bellied Jumping Spider (Philaeus chrysops)
The stony habitats are also rich in reptiles, including the very large and rare Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) and the more common Western Green Lizard. In the spring, the male Western Green Lizards become territorial and develop bright blue throat colouration in order to attract mates.
Western Green Lizard (Lacerta bilineata)
Montpellier Snakes (Malpolon monspessulanus)
There are also several species of snakes associated with the garrigue, such as Ladder Snakes (Zamenis scalaris), Southern Smooth Snakes (Coronella girondica) and Montpellier Snakes.
Raptors can regularly be seen hunting over the garrigue, especially in the summer, when Short-toed Snake-Eagles and Black Kites are present and scour the rocky scrublands for prey.
Short-toed Snake-Eagles (Circaetus gallicus)
Black Kites (Milvus migrans)
Other vertebrates associated with Mediterranean scrub include the Genet (Genetta genetta), which was introduced to southern Europe approximately 1,500 years ago. More common are the Wild Boar, which forage among the Holm Oaks, and now-feral herds of domestic goats.
Northern Small-spotted Genet (Genetta genetta)
Feral goat feeding on Holm oak