Читать книгу The GR20 Corsica. The High Level Route онлайн

53 страница из 66

Trees

Tree cover in mountain valleys is dominated by tall, straight laricio pines, maritime pines, birch and beech. There are a few localised patches of holm oak, mountain ash, sycamore and arbutus. While chestnuts may be one of the most important trees in Corsica, very few of them are seen in the mountains, but they are usually found by moving off-route to villages. Some areas of forest have been devastated in recent years by forest fires.

Spiny broom, or calycotome, is a very common plant in the scrub cover on the high mountains

An uncommon wild olive tree might be spotted, while cultivated olives are seen at Calenzana and Conca

Flowers

On the higher mountains there are interesting communities of plants. Violets and thyme can be abundant, and Alpine species include saxifrages and Alpine avens. As the snow melts in early summer, look out for delightful Corsican crocuses. Colourful orchids, big clumps of euphorbia and poisonous hellebores are also found. Corsican aconites grow only on the Plateau du Cuscione, alongside streams draining the closely cropped grasslands. Look out for curious parasitic plants. Mistletoe often thrives on laricio pines, while dense mats of dodder spread over spiny broom.