Natural area
In L'Hospitalet de l'Infant and Vall de Llors, we find the Mediterranean mountains of Tivissa-Vandellòs, which are a group of mountain ranges of the Prelitoral mountain range. The area is divided into two orographic units: the Tivissa mountains (to the west and more inland) and the Vandellòs mountains (to the east and coastal in nature). These mountain ranges were formed in a shallow, warm sea in the Jurassic (more than 200 million years ago). This is why we find fossils of the molluscs and crustaceans that lived there, such as ammonites and belemnites, among others. The rocks are limestone and dolomites that dissolve with rainwater, forming karstic reliefs where we find chasms, caves, grottoes, rocks arches, torms and solsides. The stratification of these mountains and the intercalation of more clayey levels favours the presence of water springs (fountains and wetlands), natural pools (cocones), millstones, graos, walls, plains and portezuelas.
Its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, with heights of up to 727 metres (Molló Puntaire), makes it a territory with a surprising variety of ecosystems and landscapes. In addition, this is a protected natural area that allows us to enjoy the valleys and steep mountains.
It is also an area where, in turn, we can see the autochthonous flora and fauna. This is one of its main singularities, as it preserves a good representation of the typical Mediterranean fauna of the pre-coastal mountain ranges, where ubiquitous species stand out. The most representative fauna associated with these communities is made up of species such as the wood mouse, wild boar, wood pigeon, robin, sparrowhawk and tawny owl. Rabbits are also common, which are the main prey of the eagles, abundant in this area, such as the golden eagle, the booted eagle, the short-toed eagle and the Bonelli's eagle, which are in danger of extinction.
The caves are home to bats, such as the long-nosed bat, the great horseshoe bat and the cave bat, all of which are protected. The most common reptiles are snakes, such as the southern smooth snake, the white snake, the green snake and the viper. There are honey bees, as beekeepers place their hives in our mountains. There are also scorpions, beetles (some of which are protected) and, if we are lucky, we can see the Abida secale snail, rare in Catalonia.
The forest of the Vall de Llors is a mosaic of small areas of holm oak and larger extensions of pine woods, with an undergrowth of very diverse shrubs, perfectly adapted to a dry and sunny territory where every last drop of water must be used. L'Hospitalet de l'Infant i la Vall de Llors are home to an exceptional flora that bursts forth every spring for all those who come to observe it. Rosemary and heather, thyme and honeysuckle, poppies and orchids, rosemary and wild roses fill the fields with colour. A complete and very diverse list that makes this territory a unique space for botanists and hikers alike, who enjoy the natural discovery in a calm and relaxed way. The vegetation is mainly scrubland typical of warm Mediterranean areas and some Aleppo pine forests. Native orchids proliferate in the most humid places, such as the bee-eaters and the Cephalanthera. There is an abundance of palmetto.
A large part of the trails and routes to experience the mountain tun through the natural area protected by the Tivissa-Vandellòs-Llaberia Natura 2000 Network and by the Plan for Areas of Natural Interest (PEIN) Tivissa-Vandellòs Mountains.