The Jarama river is the natural dividing line between the two areas in which the town is divided: the dry area (’secano’) and the one which receives the water as a source of life transforming it into farmable lands. Since former times, salt mining and the impact of human progress have altered the landscape of this area which was, in the past, influenced by farming and agriculture, the main economic sources of wealth in this region. Nonetheless, there is still an area called ‘El Butarrón’ (on the eastern bank of the Jarama River) where the authentic Holm oaks can still be seen and where the resistant yellow elder with its beautiful little flowers, still grows and spreads around non-arable fields. Wild fig trees are still common in farms, in gypsum beds and in people’s gardens. However, olive and cereal crops were the activities which changed the original vegetation of the area: plantations of poplar groves and black poplars in the marshes can still be found in the eastern part of Ciempozuelos. Bramble patches, wild rose bushes, blackberries and whitethorns still survive due to their strong and short thorns. Besides, a lot of vegetables are grown on the banks of the Jarama River and you can still buy them from local farmers. The most common ones are: potatoes, artichoke, cabbage, asparaguses and tomatoes.

TREKKING

For the fans of trekking, there’s the option of walking around the valleys and cliffs around ‘El Butarrón’, which is in the eastern part of the county. To get to this spot, visitors will have to go to a neighbouring village called Titulcia. At present, little remains of the original Manchego forest, which was filled with Holm oaks. Nowadays, the typical flora consists of bushes, with ‘cornicabras’ ( with its curious horn-shaped goat's guts ), kermes oaks, honeysuckles, asparagus plants, black hawthorn, in addition to the perfumed rosemary and the brownish thyme, in all its variants, at the most calcareous fields.

We should bear in mind that Ciempozuelos is the third biggest county in the Regional South-east Park, and within its boundaries there is a wide net of livestock roads. Apart form their value for cattle, these paths smaller than a ravine, and are essential for the wildlife of the region, since they link reserves and natural environments preventing the isolation of species. These areas also have a considerably high eco-tourist interest and can be divided in ‘strings’, paths and resting places.

In an overview, Ciempozuelos is divided from north to south and from east to west, by a complex net of cattle roads, which will help us gain insight into the structure of the town. The most noticeable of them all is the Cordel of the Merinas (Merinas walkway), which is also called Camino de Palomero. It is over 9 km long, and it goes through Ciempozuelos. One of its ends is placed behind Juan Carlos I high-school, and it gets as far as the Fuente de Palomero (Palomero Square), which was in the past a cattle resting place, and continues as far as Seseña, another neighbouring county.

These authentic ecological paths are ideal for strolling, trekking, horse riding and cycling.

In accordance to the flora, the typical wildlife consists of small mammals, birds and reptiles. Rabbits and partridges can be found at the wheat fields and olive trees. For the fans of hunting, wild doves and wood pigeons are also common. These species can be hunted until January, when the hunting season ends. Then, hunters will have to respect the breeding season and wait until September, when small quails appear and mark the beginning of the hunting season, which is a rooted tradition Ciempozuelos.

The most common birds of pray in this area are the black kite, in obvious expansion; the snake buzzard, which does not nest here but can be seen hunting; the nocturnal birds such as the royal owl, the small owl and the barn owl. The most common reptiles, that serve as food to these birds of pray, are snakes and lizards, with their characteristic dark green skins. Moving down the food chain, the insects that predominate are crickets, cicadas, mantis, scorpion or the harlequin butterfly, among others. At the same time, the small mammals that dominate this habitat are weasels, white-faced dormice, hedgehogs, and of course, foxes, which have learnt to get away from men and feed on carrion, small rodents and rabbits.

Once immersed in the Southeast Regional Park, aquatic birds are quite numerous, especially in the artificial lagoons, such as Las Arriadas lagoon. Among the migratory birds which pass this area we can see the royal crane, the laughing seagull and the ‘spoon’ duck. We shouldn’t forget our dear stork, which we mentioned at the beginning of this article. Storks are a protected species and they have learnt to take advantage of the climatic change (with its less intense frosts) and big groups of them can be seen at the riverside groves.

In these areas of Ciempozuelos, storks live together with wild bulls which are raised for bullfighting in Sotillo Gutiérrez, El Casillón and the thicket belonging to Hernández Pla.