Pinguicula grandiflora in Picos de Europa (Spain)

I spent some days in Asturias (Spain) hiking over the beautiful Natural Park of Picos de Europa and visiting the impressive beaches around Llanes. I had the opportunity to see hundreds of Pinguicula during the whole trip. They could be easily seen at the sides of the mountain roads and in many wet spots in the countryside. They were virtually omnipresent along some walking paths over north-facing slopes.

I could see many P. grandiflora colonies in the mountains surrounding the Covadonga lakes. Plants were notably present in north-facing slopes below 1800m approximately. Above that altitude I could not see any P. grandiflora. At this altitude, the plants were still flowering, while at 1500m approximately some seed pods were already present. At some points the plants where entirely covered by grasses, and only the characteristic flowers where visible.

Pinguicula grandiflora near the Cotalba summit, at 1750m approx.

Pinguicula grandiflora flowers near Cotalba peak, at 1750m approx.

Pinguicula grandiflora near Enol lake, at 1500m approx.

I also found spectacular Pinguicula colonies at the Cares canyon, while walking through its well known route. No plants were flowering, so I could not determine their exact species. In these areas, P. grandiflora and P. vulgaris are common.

A massive colony of Pinguicula sp. at the Cares canyon

Detail of the colony of Pinguicula sp.