Landscape

In the surroundings of the Estany de Sils we can observe many different landscapes, each with its particulars and unique biodiversity.

Meadows ("Prats de dall")

There is a kind of meadows, known as "prats de dall" in catalan, that is one of the most significant elements of the botanical landscape of Estany de Sils. It is a semi-natural community that develops on clay soils, often partially flooded, of the old bed of the lagoon and that until a few decades ago occupied most of the dried land. It is composed of a great diversity of herbaceous plants that had had interest as fodder, and its maintenance is only possible through traditional exploitation, consisting on the scythe in the spring-summer and, occasionally, pasture or scythe it again in autumn-winter. Without this management the meadow degenerates and is invaded by riverside or wetland communities and its floristic diversity disappears.

Marshes

In places where reservoir water is kept for long periods, the meadow is progressively replaced by marsh grasses, where the large carex dominate, which in Sils we know as "balcalló". The water vegetation is completed by reeds, bulrushes, reedbeds and annual aquatic plants.

Riparian vegetation

The riparian vegetation is present in a fragmentary way along the irrigation channels and edges of meadows of the lagoon, with the presence of ash, alders, grey willows and willows. In any case, the freshest and well-preserved riparian forests are located in the nearby streams, such as the Vallcanera stream.

The undulating relief and the variety of microclimates and soils of the nearby lands allow a very varied vegetation to develop in the surroundings of the Estany de Sils, where Central European and Mediterranean elements alternate, with oaks, cork oaks, pine forests, shoots and dry meadows.