Category: Living in Flores de Vida

A simple way of life. How things work at Flores de Vida.

The weather

Flores de Vida is located at an altitude of approximately 280 m and has a semi-continental climate. We are separated from the coastal climate by the small mountain range “Els Ports,” which rises to 1,000 m (high enough to keep us from having a Mediterranean climate).

Therefore:
* Summers are relatively hot and dry (between 95°F and 104°F in July/August)
* relatively cool winters, but very sunny and bright. There can be 8 to 10 days of night frosts (especially from late December to late February), which can drop to -2°C/-3°C (rarely -4°C/-5°C), and afternoons that easily reach +10°C/+15°C.
* Occasional periods of fairly strong northwesterly winds (the Cierzo)
* Fairly low rainfall (300 to 400 mm/year, on average)

Today

The current weather situation on Thursday 16 April 2026 at 19:56 o’clock, 9 minutes ago: It is 18.5 °C. The sky is covered by 3 % with clouds and there was 0.0 mm rain in the last three hours. The wind blows with 8 km/h from East. The air contains 96 ppb Carbon monoxide. Continue reading The weather

Dogs and cats

Dogs and cats are carnivores (you knew that) and hunters, which means that, in the best case scenario, they will scare away wild animals, and in the worst case scenario, kill them.

Priority to wild animals

We want to have friendly relations with wild animals and let them live. Dogs and cats can easily disrupt the balance of an ecosystem that is already fragile (in general) due to agricultural chemicals, plowing, roads, etc.
At Flores de Vida, we support the ecosystem’s regeneration and try to avoid anything that could disrupt it.

  • Cats are formidable predators for birds, lizards, snakes, etc.
  • Dogs have an unfortunate tendency to scratch around in flower beds and leave their droppings everywhere, preferably near homes. Barking is also a nuisance that we want to avoid, as well as aggression (always a possibility) between dogs and also towards humans.
  • Dogs and cats like to mark their territory by urinating on the doors of houses and tent canvases (yes, yes, it’s true).
  • As they are carnivores, we have to:
    * either feed them meat… and we don’t want carcasses brought onto the premises,
    * or feed them kibble… which is no better in terms of energy,
    * or let them hunt… and we don’t want that.
    So… there’s no room here for dogs and cats… sorry.

The return of birds and wildlife

With the development of Flores de Vida, the planting of trees, the addition of mulch, and the absence of plowing, more and more wildlife has settled in and formed a new ecosystem.

Since we started mulching the trees and vegetable garden, the birds have returned and are now very present on the land. They peck at the fruit from time to time, but they contribute to the overall balance. In the spring, it feels like being in an aviary, with birds singing everywhere.

There are also lots of lizards, frogs, and toads (which hang out in the vegetable garden pond), and snakes (mostly grass snakes, which are beautiful and harmless).
In the evenings during summer, it’s a bat party…
Continue reading Dogs and cats