Flora (and fauna) of the Iberian Peninsula

Monday 21 April – Sunday 4 May 2025
Alentejo, Portugal
Extremadura and Andalusia, Spain
Gibraltar

Bursary Report by Indigo Wyatt

Introduction
From a young age, I’ve felt a strong connection to the natural world; my fascination with plant and animal life naturally led me into the world of gardening. Through my work, I’ve developed a growing awareness of the complex relationships between plants, animals, fungi, and soil, and the importance of these connections in sustaining healthy ecosystems. My previous time as an apprentice at Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight nurtured my love for Mediterranean and temperate-climate plants, inspiring a deeper exploration of human-shaped ecosystems like Spain’s dehesa and Portugal’s montado. These ancient agroforestry landscapes reflect my passion for interconnected natural systems and sustainable land management.
I am now studying the Kew Diploma where I am continuing to explore themes of conservation and ecology, and the Travel Scholarship project – which allows students to organise a study trip to a location of their choice – seemed like the perfect opportunity to experience firsthand these unique habitats in which plants and animals thrive alongside each other.
My travels began in Alentejo, Portugal—a large, sparsely populated rural region dominated by agriculture. Here, I stayed on a working farm, Montado Freixo do Meio, where I joined in with everyday tasks and met many of the working residents.
After my time in Portugal, I travelled to Andalusia and Extremadura, Spain, where I visited the regions’ impressive national parks, nature reserves, and beautiful urban green spaces.
The last few days of my trip were spent in Gibraltar, where I explored both the Botanic Garden and the Rock, witnessing the unique flora that grows on this small peninsula.

Aims and objectives of the trip

My aims for the trip were as follows:

• Gain an understanding of the unique properties of dehesa and montado habitats, including how they are managed, the health and biodiversity benefits they provide for flora and fauna, and assess the challenges they face;
• Explore the importance of urban and rural habitats in Iberia and observe the plant, animal, and fungus species they support;
• Investigate local conservation practices, especially techniques and considerations regarding Mediterranean wildlife.

And my objectives for the trip:

• Stay with a working farm in Portugal; this will equip me with the practical experience and personal insight necessary to understand how to manage these types of landscapes;
• Visit National Parks in Spain; these will provide a good opportunity to view Mediterranean flora in nature, as well as showcase the beauty and importance of the Spanish wilderness;
• Visit urban green spaces, including botanical gardens, to explore a range of flora and improve my plant knowledge.

Monday 21 April

Welcome to Montado Freixo do Meio

My first stop on the trip was Montado do Freixo do Meio, a 450-acre private farm and one of the largest protected landscapes in Portugal. Like most traditional Montado farms, it is characterised by a large body of open oak pasture (namely Q. suber and Q. rotundifolia) where ruminants are grazed within the landscape. This long-practiced method of agroforestry attempts to marry the natural behaviour and lives of both flora and fauna. Trees provide shade and food to animals, and manure returns nutrients to the soil. Their grazing restricts scrub growth, which prevents wildfire damage and keeps the landscape as open woodland. Here in Freixo, parts of the land are still managed in this traditional manner, however, the farm is exploring other ways to promote conservation and biodiversity, improve the health of the land and its inhabitants, and pursue different economic systems to help alleviate pressure on the land.

I flew into Lisbon in the morning, where I was greeted by a heavy downpour of rain, which seemed to have followed me from Heathrow Airport. After collecting my bag, I promptly picked up my rental car from the airport and began driving out of the city towards my destination. As I drove through the rain along the narrow country roads, I noticed how the roadside verges were bursting with colour, and in the surrounding fields lay countless wildflowers and lush, long grass. Evidently, Portugal and Spain had been receiving a far higher volume of rain than usual over the winter and spring, and as a result, the flora had burst into life. Fortunately for me, this would be the final downpour before two weeks of brilliant sunshine.
I arrived at the farm in the early afternoon after stopping for groceries and was greeted by the office workers whom I had been communicating with previously to organise my visit. They showed me my beautiful accommodation – a converted old farmhouse split into small rooms – where I dropped my things. This is where I stayed for the next four days.

I was then introduced to Tiago, a young man who lives and works onsite, who welcomed me warmly and offered to show me around the main features of the farm.
We spent the afternoon touring the “Social” area, which includes the reception, interpretation rooms, library, canteen, and the other residential spaces. This is the smallest but most built-up area, where the farm welcomes its many tour groups and visitors like myself. The other areas – “Innovation”, “Traditional”, and “Conservation” – I visited later in the week, which I’ll talk about further in this report.

Layout of the farm

Tiago and I hopped into his car to begin a short stop-start drive deeper into the farm, where we visited their very own hand-built Neolithic village, made from all natural materials sourced from the farm and locally in the area. The construction of this village was inspired by many archeological findings discovered on the farm (12 Neolithic sites have been identified here). The village and interpretation centres emphasize the importance of human settlement on land and how we have shaped the landscape to our own needs throughout prehistory. The connection between agriculture, anthropology, and archaeology is a strong theme here at Freixo, and many of the teachings on the tours focus on the effect that humans continue to have on nature. By understanding how we have changed the landscape in the past, we can better prepare for the future and begin to integrate new ideas and practices of land management.

We arrived back at reception, where I met with the farm’s owner, Alfredo. He greeted me warmly and offered me a peculiar drink: a shot of acorn espresso, which tasted just like coffee!

It became evident that acorn coffee isn’t the only unusual item that is made and sold here; the farm shop produces many other acorn-based products, such as flour, pate, and even vegan acorn burgers.

Alfredo and his partner Ana realised the potential of acorns as a food source after moving to the farm. With the abundance of Quercus trees on the land, each producing many acorns, the pair carried out their own research to develop other ways to utilise acorns.

“Bolota” (acorn) products in the farm shop

Just after a few hours spent on the farm, I was already feeling intensely curious about the unique things happening here and warmed by the hospitality of my hosts. After spending the rest of the afternoon walking around taking pictures, I returned to my accommodation for the evening and settled in for the night, preparing for an exciting week of discovery ahead.

Tuesday 22 April

The previous day, I had been invited to meet the land workers at 8am to discuss the working day ahead; today, we were beginning preparations for an event being held on the farm over the weekend. Later, I would be joining two tours: the first, a school group visit in the morning, followed by lunch hosted by the farm, and another afternoon tour organised by a European agroforestry project.

Tiago, Tony (another resident and worker of the farm) and I began preparing for the event by mounting interpretation boards outside of the canteen barn. These signs depicted art, photography, and illustrations of the farm and its many forms of life, all from previous artists in residence.
Later in the morning, the first tour arrived, and I joined Tiago and Alfredo in the main interpretation centre, where Alfredo began talking to the adolescent crowd. In this interpretation centre, there is an illustration starting at one corner of the room and continuing all the way around to the end, with an evolutionary timeline at the bottom representing each major human era. The beginning of the drawing depicts a virgin, diverse woodland, which, as you follow the timeline around the room, changes as humans begin to affect their natural surroundings. Trees start disappearing, and are replaced with monocultures and fields. At the end of the illustration – the future – a mixed, lush forest is depicted; this is the hopeful future of Freixo and many other Montado farms.

We left the interpretation centre and ventured into the farm. Alfredo made numerous stops along the way to speak to the children and tell them the history of their surroundings. At one point, the children were given magnifying glasses and asked to explore the life around them. This was a fun moment – they found many forms of life, including beetles, frogs, butterflies, and fungi. Seeing them smile and laugh (and scream at the sight of creepy crawlies) was an inspiring moment for me. Freixo is planting the seeds of hope by providing wonder in these children and showing them what beauty can be held by nature when it is protected.

Alfredo sharing his knowledge with the school group

Children are given magnifying glasses and begin exploring

Iberian tree frog (Hyla molleri)

Lunchtime arrives, and we all head back to the canteen where a delicious meal has been prepared by the staff, using fresh produce from the land. We were served salad, eggs, potatoes, plus Freixo-special acorn bread and burgers!

In the afternoon, the second tour group arrived; this group of agriculturalists, foresters, and other land workers has been united by the Forests4EU project on a series of visits to rural farms in Europe, with the very first trip being carried out here in Freixo.

Alfredo led the tour, and we began with a (second) lunch, with more delicious acorn-based foods, as well as some land-raised meat and venison.

We then joined a presentation with the leader of the tour’s group, where we all introduced ourselves and the project explained its aims to improve and support agroforestry projects throughout the continent.

Presentation on Agroforestry

The next part of the tour was the most exciting; we were led outside and into the barn, where we were shown some of the impressive machinery used to collect and process acorns from the land. Then, we all jumped into the back of a huge trailer, and Alfredo climbed into the tractor up front and began driving us out towards the traditional montado area of the farm.

Safari tour – Freixo style!

We made a few stops along the way, as is Alfredo’s style, where he talked about various small projects around the farm. He emphasises frequently the importance of ’systems’ and ’factories’; a system, in the agricultural sense, is something that operates self-sufficiently, without the need for human interference, like the Montado. Factories, on the other hand, can’t operate without our maintenance, and these factories, such as greenhouses or gardens, are usually where humans meet nature. He dreams of owning a farm one day that operates as a system rather than a factory, working with nature instead of against it, and supporting it so it can be self-sustaining.

He drove us through the winding, bumpy roads out into the montado, where the only maintenance taking place is through the mouths of grazing livestock. Here, rare and ancestral breeds of ruminants, such as the Arouquesa cattle and the Sorraia horse, have been placed in the landscape. Seeing these animals living their natural lives – completely independent of human intervention, with young at their sides, staring cautiously as we drove past – was a magical moment.

Sorraia horses and Aroquesa cattle

We stopped again to admire these almost-wild beasts, and here Alfredo explained how they have drastically reduced grazing pressure on the land by only keeping a small number of animals, compared to typical Montado farms. This helps to increase plant biodiversity, and in turn supports the animals’ health as there is more food to eat. They also do not raise animals for meat or dairy; they are here only for regenerative purposes. Ancestral and rare breeds are used to exploit the animals’ ability to sustain themselves, and also as part of a conservation program. Animals are culled only to control the population where large predators are still absent, and the meat is then sold in the farm shop – as in Richmond Park or Knepp Estate in the UK.

Our wonderful farm safari concludes here; we leave the animals in peace and drive back towards the farm entrance. The tour group left (after visiting the shop to grab some souvenirs), and I finished my day by taking another evening walk through the farm, where I bumped into many of its animal and human residents. I settled back into my accommodation for the night, lulled to sleep by a distant nightingale’s lullaby.

Wednesday 23 April

In the morning, I joined Emanual, another worker, on his morning run to feed the farm animals. We drove around, dropping off food to the various creatures: pigs, chickens, goats, turkeys, even the proud livestock guardian dog who eats a bucket full of kibble for breakfast. The other animals were fed grains and food scraps from the kitchen. We collected eggs from the chickens, and I swooned over the shrieking piglets and curious goats

Hungry customers

After feeding the animals, I returned to the main office where I’d been invited to join a field botanist for the rest of the morning, who would be carrying out a reptile survey in the farm’s conservation area. I met Pablo, who grew up here in Alentejo and is currently studying for a master’s in biology in the nearby city of Évora. We drove out into the conservation area of Freixo, fenced off from the rest of the land to prevent ruminants from entering. Here, only wild animals can enter, and as a result, this area is vastly different from the traditional Montado landscape. Instead of a clear distinction between grassland and mature tree canopy, scrub and understory shrubbery have filled in the gaps, creating a far wilder-looking landscape.

Conservation area; note the presence of dense midstory growth

I followed a confident Pablo through a maze of scrub and over huge rocks, where we were treated to some incredible views of the landscape. We trekked for a few hours, stopping occasionally to share knowledge about the plants and animals we saw. He knew all the reptiles’ favorite hiding spots; we saw two species of Iberian wall lizard, a gecko, and some turtles in the adjacent pond, all basking in the hot sun. Pablo recorded each sighting and saved the data for his ongoing wildlife survey of Freixo.

Whilst Pablo searched the ground for reptiles, I observed many different plant species growing here; some of them included rock rose, Dutchman’s pipe, wild gladioli, lavender, foxgloves, wild olive, saxifrage, and many others.

Gum rockrose (Cistus ladanifer) 

Aristolochia paucinervis

From left to right: Mediterranean pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa), Iberian wall lizard (Podarcis hispanicus), and locally named ‘blonde cow’ (Berberomeloe majalis)

Pablo and I headed back to reception in time for lunch. I had the afternoon free now, and decided I would visit the areas of the farm I hadn’t seen yet. I briefly stopped by the on-site polytunnels, where a couple were working hard planting brassicas outside in the adjacent field. Inside the polytunnels, various fruit and vegetable plants are grown to supply the canteen and to feed the workers living here.

Polytunnel bursting with food

I also visited the plant nursery, which is run separately from Freixo. This is one of several experimental projects on site, most of which are maintained by individuals or as community projects.

Forest nursery

I then decided to visit the innovation area of the farm, where most of these projects are centered. I had only driven past this area and its residents, and I was keen to meet them and ask what they were doing with the land.

On the way towards the innovation area, I dropped by the farm’s campsite to look around. Offering rural accommodation, apart from events and private tours, is another way in which the farm is attempting to bring in revenue in a way that alleviates pressure on the land and animals and connects people with nature.

Campsite

I continued past the campsite and arrived at the Innovation area, where I wandered into a well-weathered property surrounded by thick vegetation, sparsely dotted with various tools, farm equipment, and plots of cultivated land. I knocked on the door and was greeted by Michael, a Danish man who had been living here for 3 months.

Micheal and Carlos’ property

We ambled around the property, and Michael showed me some of the recent work he and his neighbour Carlos had done. Most of the produce grown here is sold at local markets, such as strawberries, which had been freshly mulched that day. The small tree nursery here provides future forests for the land.

Market garden

Nursery

Michael suggested taking a walk to visit the neighbouring innovation project, where a German man named Marc has been living for the past few years. We walked along the path and bumped into Marc, who was in the middle of giving a private tour. Marc kindly asked if we would like to join in. We gratefully accepted and slotted ourselves into the tour, alongside some social farmers who had travelled here from a communal farm in France. They were staying with Marc to learn from him about agroforestry and regenerative agriculture.

Marc continued his tour and showed us the work he has carried out in his few years of living here. He estimates that, with the help of volunteers and other local employees, they have planted over 120,000 trees on the land. His aim is to improve the soil by allowing organic matter to accumulate, which in turn will help support intensive tree planting. He has planted numerous species, including Eucalyptus, which has a bad reputation in Portugal for being invasive and highly flammable; however, with their fast-growing habit, they can quickly provide shade for other trees. Also, they can be controlled relatively easily when kept routinely pruned. He’s also planted vines and other climbing plants, which will create a dense ‘food-forest’ that needs little structural support. Fruit and vegetables are underplanted throughout the rows of trees. Swathes of colour spill out of every nook and cranny where Marc has sown wildflowers. Marc has such a vast knowledge of agroforestry systems; it’s hard to do all his work and wisdom justice in a small write-up.

Marc Leiber

The social farmers tour group

Marc is also attempting to reverse some of the traditional methods of Montado-style maintenance; for example, where oak trees have been pruned to remove their inner canopy, Marc has encouraged this growth back by pruning the ends of the trees, allowing them to revert to a more natural-looking form.

Quercus suber pruning

Michael and I thanked Marc for his time, and we continued with our walk. On the way back to my room, scrambling through grasses as tall as myself, I stumbled across a near-hidden beauty: the first bee orchid of my trip, a sawfly orchid. This small population was almost physical proof of the magic happening here on Marc’s land.

Sawfly orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera)

Thursday 24 April

My last day at the farm began by joining Emanuel in feeding the animals. I internally said goodbye to the hungry-eyed critters as we drove around serving their breakfasts.

For the rest of the morning, I joined Emanuel and Tony for some orange pruning and harvesting. Another school group was arriving that day for a tour, and Alfredo was keen that they should receive some fresh fruit from the land with lunch. Alfredo led us to a small orange grove and explained how to prune the trees. Similarly to olives, plenty of light should be allowed into the canopy, which allows the oranges to ripen. In Alfredo’s words: “A huge bird should be able to fly easily into the middle of the tree.” These oranges haven’t been pruned for some time; the men have brought long-handled pruning saws to tackle them, and as they began butchering the limbs, I helped by picking fruit from the fallen branches. It surprised me that, as we worked, not one branch was cleared away or moved from the earth where it fell. Leaving organic matter on the land like this – even large branches – helps to increase soil fertility, and dead wood is vital for encouraging beneficial fungal growth.

Tony pruning orange trees

Orange harvest

Tony and Emanuel

After just a few hours, we filled a whole pickup truck with baskets of citrus fruits. This felt like the perfect way to conclude my wonderful stay on the farm, and as I packed my things and said goodbye, I made sure to stuff a few delicious oranges in my bag as a reminder of my time at Freixo.

My next stop was a three-hour drive across the border into Spain to Monfragüe National Park. I set off in the car, arrived at the hotel and settled down for the night, enjoying the view of the nearby mountains from my window.

Friday 25 April

I spent the day in Monfragüe National Park, hiking across two main trails. I saw plenty of vultures, circling the huge rocks where flocks of tourists had come to see them. The flora here is quite commonplace, not as diverse as what I had experienced in Freixo. I suspected this National Park (like most in the UK) is managed in quite restrictive ways, in which biodiversity is often limited as a result. I saw asphodel meadows stretching far beyond my gaze at times; despite their beauty, they are an unfortunate sign of soil degradation in most cases. Monfragüe was still well worth a visit to experience the stunning views and immersion of the Spanish countryside, and the site has great economic value as a hotspot for nature tourism.

Asphodels (Asphodelus albus)

Viewpoint

Vulture

Saturday 26 – Sunday 27 April

I made the long drive back to Lisbon to drop off the hire car and settled into my room for a weekend of rest. I had a great time mooching around the streets of Portugal’s stunning capital, and couldn’t help but pay a visit to its beautiful botanical garden.

Arid display at Botanical Garden of Lisbon

Monday 28 April

I left Lisbon early in the morning and flew to Seville. My plans for the day were to visit the gardens of the Royal Alcazar – however, I soon discovered that tickets had already sold out for the day, so instead I spent my day photographing the city’s public green spaces. It was unbeknownst to me at this time that the country was experiencing a nationwide power cut. While the news of this infamous event spread across the continent, I was peacefully strolling through green paths, admiring the sight of people relaxing and enjoying nature; painting, sunbathing, listening to street performers, chatting with friends… it occurred to me that these free to access urban spaces are so important for respite and relaxation, away from the hectic city centre.

People making the most of no power by enjoying nature

Parque de María Luisa

Stunning Bougainvillea

I made my way back to the train station, where I was due to catch a train to Córdoba, but soon discovered that I would not be travelling anywhere that afternoon. The train station was completely shut down, and hundreds of people were sitting hopelessly outside. Like the rest of the country, Seville’s transport links had ground to a halt. I decided my only option would be to stay in Seville and attempt to continue with my travels tomorrow. Fortunately, the power returned to Seville in the late afternoon, so I was still able to spend my evening in relative comfort. It was an unexpected, and frankly, stressful day in Seville!

Tuesday 29 April

The following morning, I was relieved to find that the trains were back in service. I managed to make my way to Córdoba, where I now had limited time to visit the botanical garden. I rushed into the city centre and looked around the small, modest gardens. It’s not the most impressive botanical collection, however, there are some great interpretation centres featuring a large palaeobotanical collection and an ethnobotanical museum (which I didn’t have time to visit), as well as some nice ornamental displays.

Patio display at Córdoba Botanical Gardens

I hurried back to the station and hopped onto a coach to Granada, where I would be meeting a friend, Kian Khalilian. I had been put in contact with him through friends at Kew; he had generously agreed to drive from his home in Gibraltar and join me on my exploration of Spanish flora. We met in the evening and caught up over dinner, and I returned to my accommodation to get some rest for the following day.

Wednesday 30 April

Kian and I spent the morning similarly to how I went about my time in Seville; I had originally planned to visit The Alhambra, however, it was also sold out for the day, so instead we walked around investigating Granada’s green corridors. Interestingly, it was here that we found several interesting plant species thriving on neglect. We enjoyed a good few hours botanising and noticed the many beautifully decorated balconies and patios around the city.

Wonderful wildflowers

Beautiful balconies

We left the city in the afternoon and drove towards the snowcapped mountains of Sierra Nevada National Park, where we had planned to take a hike through the highlands with the hope of seeing some interesting flora. In particular, I was keen to spot some more bee orchids and see some wild animals in their natural habitat. Fortunately, we saw both! As well as orchids, wild boar, and Iberian ibex, we also saw many endemic plant species along the way, which Kian happened to be remarkably familiar with – he’s currently working on writing his very own flora, so I couldn’t have asked for a better companion!

“Maquis” habitat

View from the top

Kian

Mirror orchid (Ophrys speculum)

Yellow bee orchid (Ophrys lutea)

We made our way back to Kian’s car just as the sun set over the mountains. That night, we drove to the small town of Órgiva to stay with Kian’s friend Carolina; she had kindly prepared a hot meal to welcome us with, despite our late arrival! Exhausted from our day, Kian and I went straight to bed in Carolina’s spare rooms.

Thursday 1 May

Carolina suggested visiting a friend’s village for the day, where a new community is working to regenerate the land. We drove to Puerto de Jubiley, a tiny cortijo (traditional rural working farm) nestled away from the main road, surrounded by wilderness. There’s no shop here – just fresh water running through the farm, and home-grown produce to feed the inhabitants. We met Carlito, a Granada native living here with only a few others. He’s currently studying permaculture and applying his knowledge to manage the land. We found him using a scythe, and he later explained how he’s working to channel the running water to help with irrigation. Here, we saw how ancient practices are being brought back to life in an effort to learn how to work alongside nature once again.

Carlito using a scythe

Puerto de Jubiley

Carolina, exploring the cortijo

We said goodbye to our generous hosts and drove to Kian’s home in Gibraltar for the rest of the trip.

Friday 2 May

I visited Gibraltar Botanic Gardens whilst Kian was at work. Here, I met some of Kian’s fellow plant-loving friends, along with the garden’s entomologist, Douglas, who showed me his impressive collection of insects. The gardens are small but incredibly well presented; I was impressed by the meticulous upkeep of the displays and the hospitality of the staff.

For the rest of the day, I prepared for an evening talk that Kian had arranged for the Gibraltar Horticultural Society. We had a small but attentive turnout; I spoke mainly about my time in Portugal, whilst touching on some of our shared adventures in Spain.

Gibraltar Botanic Gardens

Talk for Gibraltar Botanic Horticultural Society

Saturday 3 May – Sunday 4 May

We decided to spend the last day of our exploration on the Rock. Kian invited some friends: Douglas from the botanic garden; Helder, a Swiss botanist who recently moved to Gibraltar; and Leslie, who’s lived here his whole life and knows the Rock like the back of his hand.

Our morning was spent botanising in cracks and crevices, where we saw the endemic Gibraltar candytuft Iberis gibraltarica.

Gibraltar candytuft (Iberis gibraltarica)

There was a pleasant mix of Mediterranean and endemic Iberian flora growing on the Rock

Purple Jerusalem sage (Phlomis purpurea)

Spanish iris (Iris xiphium)

Photographing the flora – up close and personal

We inched our way slowly to the top of the Rock, where crowds of tourists gather in front of viewpoints and flock to the Barbary macaques. From here, there are stunning views across Gibraltar and into mainland Spain. Even Tangier, Morocco, can be seen in the far distance.

East side of Gibraltar

On the way back down towards town, we were treated to some sightings of the rock’s unique fauna; I crossed paths with a macaque, and we saw some reptiles basking in the warm sun.

Common wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)

Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus)

I stayed with Kian for one last evening, and we both enjoyed a well earned rest the following Sunday.

I left Gibraltar feeling deeply inspired — and admittedly a little overwhelmed — by the richness of everything I had experienced on my journey. The teachings, hospitality, and generosity I received throughout Spain and Portugal have left a lasting impression and will remain close to my heart. Iberia’s landscapes are among the most dramatic and unique I’ve ever encountered, alive with extraordinary wildlife. I was especially moved by the generosity of the communities and individuals who so willingly shared their knowledge and time with me. I sincerely hope to return one day, not only to revisit this incredible land, but also to give back in thanks for all it has given me.

I’d like to thank the charities who generously funded me and made this trip possible: The Bentham Moxon Trust, Mediterranean Plants and Gardens; and the Kew Guild. Thank you very much!

All photos are my own.

Indigo Wyatt