Limestone

We headed out today for a limestone river valley called Querenca. The area continues with a low level of basic farming, some oranges and carob trees. Most of the land is steep overgrown mixed woodland, and we walk along a north facing slope.
The very first orchids we spotted were the striking sword leaved helleborine, with its large white and orange flowers.
Then we came across this colony of man orchid, again in full flower and very robust. Orchids vary enormously from year to year, and these ones can be only a few inches tall, or up to 20" as this one.
We wandered along looking for a picnic spot, and exploring a small meadow blundered into a swathe of yesterday's naked man orchid, there must have been 2000 or more, an ideal place to stop!
On the way home we decided to try and follow some rather vague directions in a magazine and find the centre for the reintroduction of the Iberian Lynx.
They are raised in complete isolation from humans so they are wild enough to be released. This means we cannot approach the area, but there is a distant viewing point with telescope see extras. And we managed to find it, up a long winding back road through the hills! It is slightly signposted if you are looking out for it, but very discreet!