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In the town of Sant Julià de Cerdanyola (Berguedà) there is a beautiful plantation of echinacea, very curative, and which is now in full bloom with Pedraforca in the background. It really brings fantastic color contrasts to the landscape and attracts bee pollination, as can be seen in La Vanguardia Readers' Photos.
The echinacea is a herbaceous and perennial plant, which can reach a meter in height. Its name comes from the Greek echinos, which means "thorny", a detail that refers to its central head, full of rigid flowers that look like thorns, as we see in the images with the landscape of the Berguedà mountains as a backdrop.
In the perspective of the mountains we see, in the background, the peculiar silhouette of Pedraforca, within the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park area and which forms the boundary between the provinces of Barcelona and Lleida.
It has a very peculiar shape due to its two peaks separated by a large col, which gives it its name. The northern summit is made up of two peaks: Pollegó Superior (2,506 m) together with Calderer (2,505 m). The south is made up of the Lower Pollegó (2445 m).
Its flowers are very similar to daisies, with pinkish or purple tones. It can also be yellowish and white. The truth is that it shines, as we can see in this mountain plantation of Berguedà.
This plant is native to North America (at the beginning of the 20th century it was adopted in Europe). In their continent of origin, the native peoples used it to heal wounds or even snake bites.
It is credited with the ability to strengthen the defenses of the body's immune system and prevent infections. Depending on the species used, medicinal concoctions are prepared from the stem and flower, or from the root.
This plantation has flourished in the Pre-Pyrenees, in the Alt Berguedà, at an altitude of more than 950 meters. Sant Julià de Cerdanyola forms a small valley, located to the northwest of the Catllaràs massif.
These lands are surrounded by mountains, as we can see in the photographs, which also serve as a natural division. To the south, the Albiol crest rises to 1,420 meters and borders Malanyeu, in the municipality of La Nou.
To the east, the southernmost mountains of the Sierra del Catllaràs reach 1732 meters in La Clusa, already touching the ends of Castell de l'Areny and La Pobla de Lillet.
To the north, the ridge of Forcat, Coma Verda and Solana de Cortielles, separate the lands of Sant Julià de Cerdanyola from those of Guardiola de Berguedà and La Pobla de Lillet. In the west, the term is open in the Llobregat valley and also borders with Guardiola de Berguedà. In addition, this municipality of Berguedà has two permanent watercourses, the Albiol ditch and the Torrentera.
The situation of Sant Julià de Cerdanyola in this mountain area close to the Llobregat basin and not far from the Moixeró mountain range, makes the landscape quite rich, with at least five types of forests (occupying more than 60% of the total area of the municipality) and many different botanical species, where echinacea shines and attracts pollinating insects.
