Forests' Spring tones

The forests are dressing themselves in bright green.

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Iberian frog

With the increase in temperature and with abundant water still available, amphibians become a common sight. This Iberian Frog was just emerging from a forest trail side pond.

Iberian frog; rã-ibérica – Rana iberica

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Garrano – III

Curious young Garrano horse. Looking proud on his pose but still clumsy in its steps.

Horse, Garrano breed; Cavalo, da raça Garrano – Equus caballus L.

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Garrano - II

Profile of a dominant male Garrano.

Horse, Garrano breed; Cavalo, da raça Garrano – Equus caballus L.

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Garrano - I

Whenever you walk in Cabreira Mountains, they are always there. Their grasslands, their hills and their mountains.

Horse, Garrano breed; Cavalo, da raça Garrano – Equus caballus L.

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Wind painting

A water stream falling under an oak tree. Sometimes you just have to let the natural elements do all the artistic work for you.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, April

Mountain Shelters - III

The shelter of Cabana de Bouças de Areias, in the higher altitudes of Cabreira Mountain Range, stands as a memory of ancient and far harder lives than those we can enjoy nowadays. It has served and still shelters shepherds, hunters and any mountaineer seeking a refuge from the mountain’s harsh weather conditions. It is also a good example of culture preservation, as the local municipality of Vieira do Minho has taken efforts to restore it while preserving its authenticity

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, Março

Death…

Distant from the closest woods, a lonely and decaying tree remains erect over the surrounding scenery. While the tree is dead, its trunk still holds life, as birds of prey may use its cavities for nesting or use it as a watch tower

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, March

Serra da Cabreira – Fragas de Toco

Fragas de Toco (and Toco Mountain) in the central region of Cabreira Mountain Range.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, February

Winter palette

Some leaves marked by hail still remain on a northern red oak. Winter fades everything, even colours.

Northern red oak, carvalho americano / roble-americano – Quercus rubra

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, February

Mountain shelters ( Abrigos de Montanha )

Shelters are reminiscent of harder times, when shepherds where kept away from their homes and forced to stay in mountains attending their herds. Mountain shelters have taken many forms, from rudimentary caves below piled up boulders to small houses built with the surrounding materials. Some are privately owned (or are in privately owned lands), others have simply become forsaken. While these could still serve mountaineers or anyone seeking a temporary shelter for a night over in the region, many of them can be found in an appalling state: some are nothing more than ruins; others are decayed, flooded or vandalised.
Yet, they were not forgotten. Recently, local municipalities, like Vieira do Minho Municipality, or even groups of individuals that simply aim at preserving the cultural heritage of these sites have taken efforts in rebuilding some of these shelters and restoring them to usability. Now, maintaining them in proper condition, e.g. clean, is far more dependent on civilized use than in weathering.
However, other attempts at restoring mountain shelters have bumped into bureaucratic and even legal bumps. National authorities like ICNF seem to disdain people’s voluntary efforts in restoring and maintaining these shelters and basically rule for abandonment and decay. Why? I speculate that some ICNF’s representatives carry an older (I was going to write obsolete) and very basic mentality. Other more plausible reason might be the lack of means, i.e. manpower, to supervise their correct usage. In either possibilities, there is an absurd lack of trust towards mountaineers and nature enthusiasts: those that would preserve and give shelters their proper use: sheltering.

Os abrigos de montanha são monumentos (não reconhecidos) remanescentes de outros tempos, próprios de vidas mais difíceis, de quando era necessário permanecer na montanha para o pastoreio. Os abrigos tomaram muitas formas, desde uma simples caverna debaixo de um penedo a casas rudimentares, construídas com os materiais locais. Uns são propriedade privada ou estão em propriedades privadas, outros foram simplesmente abandonados. Estes poderiam servir os montanheiros ou qualquer pessoa que procurasse um abrigo temporário ou passar uma noite em contexto de montanha. No entanto, muitos deles encontram-se num estado deplorável: uns nada mais são que ruínas; outros estão a decair, inundados ou simplesmente vandalizados.
Por um lado, os abrigos de montanha não foram esquecidos. Algumas autarquias locais, como o Município de Vieira do Minho, ou mesmo grupos de indivíduos que simplesmente ambicionam preservar a herança cultural destes sítios, tomaram esforços em recuperar alguns destes abrigos e restaurar-lhes a usabilidade. Agora, mantê-los em condições próprias é bem mais dependente do civismo que quem os visita do que da exposição ao clima.
No entanto, algumas tentativas de recuperar abrigos de montanha embateram em processos burocráticos e mesmo impedimentos legais. Autoridades nacionais como o ICNF preterem os esforços voluntários de cidadãos em restaurar e manter estes abrigos em prol do abandonamento e consequente ruína. Apenas posso especular que alguns representantes do ICNF simplesmente arrastam consigo uma mentalidade antiga e muito básica. Um outro motivo, plausível, é a falta de meios humanos para uma fiscalização própria do uso dos abrigos. No entanto, ambos os motivos partilham uma total falta de confiança nos montanheiros ou de qualquer verdeiro entusiasta da Natureza: aqueles que saberiam preservar e dariam o melhor uso aos abrigos de montanha: abrigo.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, February

Caldeirão Waterfall ( Cascata do Caldeirão ) - II

Throughout the ages, the rough granite monoliths have been carved by the pluvial erosion.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, February

Caldeirão Waterfall ( Cascata do Caldeirão )

Fed by Ladeiras stream, by Cha da Caga creek, and many other nameless affluents, this river drops suddenly in altitude. In a place appropriately named Caldeirão (Cauldron), an impressive waterfall bursts from Cabreira’s Northern Mountains.

Alimentado pela Ribeira das Ladeiras, pelo Regato da Cha de Caga (adoro o nome), e mais uns quantos afluentes, a queda em altitude na zona do Caldeirão resulta numa cascata imponente. O resto foram as torneiras dos céus que se abriram em todo o seu esplendor.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, February

Calm before the storm

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, February

Autumn colors with a winter twist

A trail runs through a cypress forest, while still retaining some of its autumn’s colours. Yet, a hailstorm has left the ground with some of winter’s cold sweetness.

Serra da Cabreira,
Portugal 2017, February

Stormy waterfall

An insignificant and nameless water line, affluent to river Peneda, surges from the Northern Mountains of Cabreira by the force of a major Winter storm.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2017, February

Serra do Gerês

The rising Sun, breaching a snow storm to briefly shine over Gerês Mountain Range.

Serra do Gerês, Portugal
2017, January

Horizons

Alvão Mountain Range in the background, with Maroiço Mountain Range in the foreground, framed by Fafe Basto Mountain Range with its Morgair peak to the far right.
Serra do Alvão ao fundo, com a Serra de Maroiço em primeiro plano, enquadrada pela Serra de Fafe Basto com o seu Alto de Morgair à direita.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2016, Novembro

Autochthonous Forest Day

Today, in the Iberian Peninsula, the day of the Autochthonous Forest is celebrated. The Rowan (or mountain-ash) populates European mountains, between 1000m and 2000m of altitude. This is a magnificent specimen that, although small in height, marks the mountain by its fruits colour explosion.

Hoje celebra-se o Dia da Floresta Autóctone na Península Ibérica. A tramazeira é uma espécie verdadeiramente nossa, ocorrendo nas serras entre os 1000m e 2000m de altitude. Este é um exemplar magnífico que, embora de pequeno porte, marca a montanha pela explosão de côr dos seus frutos.

Rowan, tramazeira – Sorbus aucuparia L.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2016, Novembro

Sunbathing

With their bright red, fly agaric mushrooms strongly contrast with the green meadows or the dark soils of the woods.
Com o seu vermelho reluzente, os agários-das-moscas contrastam com o verde dos prados ou os solos escuros dos bosques. Outros nomes comuns para esta espécie são amanita mata-moscas, rosalgar, mata-bois ou frades-de-sapo.

Fly agaric / agários-das-moscas – Amanita muscaria

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2016, Novembro