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Montgrí Massif
The Montgrí () is a small mountain range in Catalonia, on the north bank of the Ter river. It is part of the Catalan Coastal Range and its highest point is 311 m. Features The Montgrí Massif stretches from east to west north of the town of Torroella de Montgrí, sheltering it from the Tramontana northern wind. Local people call it simply "el Montgrí". This long mountain formation looks like a sleeping bishop seen from afar. The Montgrí Massif is topped by an ancient fortress in the middle, the Montgrí Castle. Local people say the castle is the ring on the sleeping bishop's hand. It is a largely denuded karstic mountain, beaten by the persistent winds that blow in the region. It has some dunes at its feet, on its northern side, which formed by windblown sand coming from the shores of distant Roses. These dunes were fixed about a century ago by and lie now covered under low forest. The Medes Islands further east, beyond the town of l'Estartit, are a geological prolongatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baix Empordà
Baix Empordà in Catalan (; en, Lower Empordà, italic=yes) or Bajo Ampurdán in Spanish () is a ''comarca'' (county) in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is one of the two ''comarca'' into which Empordà was divided in the comarcal division of 1936, the other one being Alt Empordà. It is popularly known as ''L'Empordanet'' ("the Little Empordà"). Geography Extent Baix Empordà is the southern portion of the historical region of Empordà. It includes the municipalities between the Montgrí Massif, just north of the river Ter, and the Aro valley, in the south. It measure some from north to south, and from east to west, with a total area of . It borders Alt Empordà to the north, Gironès and Selva to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The Mediterranean coast of the Baix Empordia is part of the Costa Brava, and is a major tourist destination, including resorts such as Sant Feliu de Guíxols, s'Agaro, Platja d'Aro, Sant Antoni de Calonge, Palamós, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roses, Girona
Roses (; es, Rosas, link=no, ) is a municipality in the comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' of the Alt Empordà, located on the Costa Brava, Catalonia, Spain. Roses is the site of the former bishopric of Rotdon, now a Latin Catholic titular see. It is situated on the coast at the northern end of the Gulf of Roses, and is an important fishing port and tourist centre. The C-260 road links the town with Figueres. The GR 92 long distance footpath, which roughly follows the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, has a staging point at Roses. Stage 3 links northwards to Cadaqués, a distance of , whilst stage 4 links southwards to the ''El Cortalet'' pond in the Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, a distance of . History Early history The origins of Roses are disputed. According to classical sources, it was founded in the 8th century BC by Greek colonists from Rhodes and was called Rhode ( grc, Ῥόδη). It seems more probable that it was founded in the 5th century ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs); originally described in France as ''Phylloxera vastatrix''; equated to the previously described ''Daktulosphaera vitifoliae'', ''Phylloxera vitifoliae''. The insect is commonly just called phylloxera (; from grc, φύλλον, leaf, and , dry). These almost microscopic, pale yellow sap-sucking insects, related to aphids, feed on the roots and leaves of grapevines (depending on the phylloxera genetic strain). On ''Vitis vinifera'', the resulting deformations on roots ("nodosities" and "tuberosities") and secondary fungal infections can girdle roots, gradually cutting off the flow of nutrients and water to the vine.Wine & Spirits Education Trust ''"Wine and Spirits: Understanding Wine Quality"'' pgs 2-5, Second Revised Edition (2012), Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards are often characterised by their ''terroir'', a French term loosely translating as "a sense of place" that refers to the specific geographical and geological characteristics of grapevine plantations, which may be imparted to the wine itself. History The earliest evidence of wine production dates from between 6000 and 5000 BC. Wine making technology improved considerably with the ancient Greeks but it wasn't until the end of the Roman Empire that cultivation techniques as we know them were common throughout Europe. In medieval Europe the Church was a staunch supporter of wine, which was necessary for the celebration of the Mass. During the lengthy instability of the Middle Ages, the monasteries maintained and developed viticultural prac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Land Snail
A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as slugs). However, it is not always easy to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less amphibious between land and fresh water, and others are relatively amphibious between land and salt water. Land snails are a polyphyletic group comprising at least ten independent evolutionary transitions to terrestrial life (the last common ancestor of all gastropods was marine). The majority of land snails are pulmonates that have a lung and breathe air. Most of the non-pulmonate land snails belong to lineages in the Caenogastropoda, and tend to have a gill and an operculum. The largest clade of land snails is the Cyclophoroidea, with more than 7,000 species. Many of these operculate land snails live in habitats or microhabitats ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurasian Eagle Owl
The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. It is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. It is one of the largest species of owl, and females can grow to a total length of 75 cm (30 in), with a wingspan of 188 cm (6 ft 2 in), with males being slightly smaller.''Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide'' by Mikkola, H. Firefly Books (2012), This bird has distinctive ear tufts, with upper parts that are mottled with darker blackish colouring and tawny. The wings and tail are barred. The underparts are a variably hued buff, streaked with darker colouring. The facial disc is not very defined and the orange eyes are distinctive.Penteriani, V., & del Mar Delgado, M. (2019). ''The eagle owl''. Bloomsbury Publishing. Eurasian eagle-owls are found in many habitats, but are mostly birds of mountainous regions or other rocky areas, often those near varied wood ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cork Oak
''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the cores of cricket balls. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. In the Mediterranean basin the tree is an ancient species with fossil remnants dating back to the Tertiary period. It endures drought and makes little demand on the soil quality and is regarded as a defence against desertification. Cork oak forests are home to a multitude of animal and plant species. Since cork is increasingly being displaced by other materials as a bottle cap, these forests are at risk as part of the cultural landscape and animal species such as the Iberian lynx are threatened with extinction. Description General appearance and bark The cork oak grows as an evergreen tree, reaching an average height of or in rare cases up to 25 m and a tru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts 187 species names of pines as current, together with more synonyms. The American Conifer Society (ACS) and the Royal Horticultural Society accept 121 species. Pines are commonly found in the Northern Hemisphere. ''Pine'' may also refer to the lumber derived from pine trees; it is one of the more extensively used types of lumber. The pine family is the largest conifer family and there are currently 818 named cultivars (or trinomials) recognized by the ACS. Description Pine trees are evergreen, coniferous resinous trees (or, rarely, shrubs) growing tall, with the majority of species reaching tall. The smallest are Siberian dwarf pine and Potosi pinyon, and the tallest is an tall ponderosa pine located in southern Oregon's Rogue Riv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mediterranean Forest
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near colder seas. Winters are typically mild to cool in low-lying locations but can be cold in inland and higher locations. All these ecoregions are highly distinctive, collectively harboring 10% of the Earth's plant species. Distribution The Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome mostly occurs in, but not limited to, the Mediterranean climate zones, in the mid-latitudes: *the Mediterranean Basin *the Chilean Matorral *the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California and the Baja California Peninsula *the Western Cape of South Africa *the southwest and southern Australia. The biome is not limited to the Mediterranean climate zone. It can also be present in other c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mediterranean Fan Palm
''Chamaerops'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. The only currently fully accepted species is ''Chamaerops humilis'', variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates. Taxonomy Apart from the fully accepted ''Chamaerops humilis,'' there are a few taxa of unresolved status plus numerous species synonymised under ''Chamaerops humilis''. The species ''Chamaerops humilis'' itself has three accepted varieties as follows: *''Chamaerops humilis'' var. ''argentea'' André (syn. ''C. h.'' var. ''cerifera'') – "Atlas mountain palm" of Northwest Africa. Leaves glaucous. *''Chamaerops humilis'' var. ''epondraes'' – Northwest Africa. Leaves glaucous. *''Chamaerops humilis'' var. ''humilis'' – Southwest Europe. Leaves green. There also are at least three cultivars (''C. humilis'' var. ''humilis'' 'Nana', ''C. humilis'' 'Vulcano', ''C. humilis'' 'Stella'). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
L'Estartit
L'Estartit (; es, Estartit, link=no) is a small town and seaside resort on the Costa Brava, on the northeastern coast of Spain, located in the province of Girona, Catalonia. The town is situated between the foothills of the Montgrí Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, and is part of the municipality of Torroella de Montgrí, in the Baix Empordà county, Girona province, autonomous community of Catalonia. Geography L'Estartit stretches North-South from Cala Montgó, at the southern tip of the Bay of Roses (''Badía de Roses'') to the Ter River estuary in the Bay of Pals (''Badía de Pals''). East-West it extends three kilometers inland from the shoreline and includes the hills of Rocamaura and Torre Moratxa, and to the north of these the old farmhouse of Torre Ponça. The Montgrí Massif ( Massís del Montgrí) plunges into the sea forming about 9 kilometers of high, rocky and cut coast, in which we find several coves, including Cala Calella, Golfet del Falaguer, Cala Pedrosa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medes Islands
The Illes Medes ( es, Islas Medas) is a small and craggy group of seven islets in the Costa Brava area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the Medes Archipelago belongs to the Baix Empordà comarca, Catalonia, Spain. The islands are protected as a nature reserve; scubadiving is popular but is thus regulated there and requires permission. The islands are located close to the shore, east of the coastal town of L'Estartit. Islands *Meda Gran, the largest island in the group, has an area of and is the only island of a considerable size. It has some Mediterranean vegetation and a 19th-century lighthouse on it. The lighthouse was built on La Meda Gran in 1866; it had a resident lighthouse keeper until 1932 when the installation of an automatic light made him redundant. Currently the island has a solar-powered automatic lighthouse. *Meda Xica, the second largest island, has a total surface of only . *Carall (or Cavall) Bernat, Tascons Grossos, Medellot, Tascons Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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