Gallery forests

You can find good examples of gallery forests growing in many places in the valleys of the Segura and Guadalquivir rivers. The one described here is in the headwaters of the Segura river as it flows past the charming village of Toba.

 

Forests that grow as corridors along rivers are called gallery forests. Their components change as they advance along the banks, from the source to the mouth of the river. The section found in the mountainous area of the Nature Reserve is in the upper reaches of the river basin.

The forest you will visit on this itinerary comprises poplar trees (Populus nigra and Populus x canadensis), ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), clusters of different sorts of willows (Salix eleagnos angustifolia, S. purpurea, S. atrcinerea and S. fragilis) and blackberriess (Rubus ulmifolius), as well as rushes, moor grass and sedges (Scirpus holschoenus, Juncus inflexus, Molinia caerulea, Carex pendula and Carex hirta). You can also spot some wild orchids among the rushes, such as Dactylorhiza (Dactyloriza elata).

Any time of year is great for a stroll through the woods, especially autumn when the leaves are vivid colours and in late spring when a myriad of shades of green and the wild orchids are out.

 

LOCATION

When you cross the bridge over the Segura river, park your car on the short turn-off to the village of La Toba to enjoy a first-hand view of the splendid riparian forest.