Riserva Naturale Orientata Sughereta di Niscemi

Riserva Naturale Orientata Sughereta di Niscemi

In the cork oak woodland of Niscemi, together with ilex trees and downy oaks, there are the typically evergreen shrubs of the Mediterranean maquis-forest. The wonderful wood of the past is only a memory now; however, there are still interesting environments where lentisk, carob tree, wild olive, myrtle, strawberry tree, Phyllirea, and fan palm grow.

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Flora

Cork Oak

It is an evergreen oak looking like the ilex tree, and is characteristic of the Mediterranean area. It grows on siliceous soils with an acid reaction and in basically dry climatic conditions, and for this reason it can grow together with generally evergreen plants which have adopted survival strategies to resist dehydration.

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Fauna

European Bee-eater

It is one of the "vulnerable" species in the red list of the birds nesting in Sicily: as a matter of fact, since its very colored plumage makes it a longed-for bird for collectors, it is a victim of poaching.

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