Cascade de la Pisse in Châteauroux-Les-Alpes

5 points of interest

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  Water

  Gramorel Canal

  Present all the way along the trail, the purpose of this canal is to irrigate the valleys. It is essential for farmers for the maintenance of their fields. This system enables 64 hectares of land to be irrigated. It was dug in the eighteenth century and is 5.5 kilometres long. In 1827, following significant damage caused by landslides, regulations were introduced to ensure that the canals were maintained as a collective effort.
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  Fauna

  Common cuckoo

  This is a medium-sized migratory bird, identifiable by its «cuckoo» call heard between April and July in woods and open spaces.
  The females seek out the nests of small passerine birds and when she finds a nest with eggs in it, she eats one of them and lays another in its place. In the parasitised nest, the cuckoo chick hatches first and ejects the other eggs from the nest so that it is raised, alone, by its adoptive parents

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  Flora

  Larch

  A high-altitude pioneer tree, its young needles are fine enough to allow light to filter through. It is the only conifer to drop its needles in winter. Another distinctive feature: in the spring, its cones are a characteristic dark purple. The larch is one of the few European tree species that is imputrescible, that is to say, it does not rot. This is why, despite the fact that it twists as it dries out, it is widely use in frameworks, drinking troughs and other water holding vessels in the mountain villages. Incapable of germinating in its own undergrowth, it needs natural openings such as avalanche corridors for the young shoots to develop.
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  Flora

  English lavender

  English lavender is a sub-shrub standing 30 to 60 centimetres tall. The violet flowers form single loose spike at the end of the stem. Despite its common name, it is a native of the mountain regions in the western Mediterranean basin. Narrow-leaved lavender, also called «true» lavender, can thrive in the mountains up to an altitude of 2,000 metres. Ever since ancient times, it has been known for its antiseptic and disinfectant properties. It is a bee-forage plant and highly valued by bee keepers.
• 

  Fauna

  Crested tit

  It is a small passerine in the tit family Paridae. It has brown plumage on its back, lighter on the underside. What makes it easy to identify is the triangular crest adorning its head. It is a year-round resident that lives in conifer forests. In summer, it eats insects but becomes a seed-eater in winter. Outside the breeding season, crested tits, in the company of other tits, wrens and various other passerines, congregate into boisterous flocks which the French call rondes (patrols).